Skip to main content

Full text of "197810 Interface Age V 03 I 10"

See other formats 


iTuTcnfdrE  *33E 

COMPUTING  FOR  HOME  AND  BUSINESS  APPLICATIONS  VOLUME  3,  ISSUE  10  OCTOBER  1978  S2.00 

CANADA/MEXICO  $2.50 


INDEX  TO  HARDWARE 


microprocessors  in  Autos 

The  6800  in  the  D 


oom 


40K  Bytes  RAM  Memory 

1,200,000  Bytes  Disk  Storage 

Desk  with  laminated  plastic  surface 

DOS  and  BASIC  with  random  and  sequential  files 

TERMINAL— Upper-Lower  case  and  full  control  character  decoding 

SOUTHWEST  TECHNICAL  PRODUCTS  CORPORATION 
■H  B M I Jptiff  219  W.  RHAPSODY 

I C SAN  ANTONIO.  TEXAS  78216 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  55 


Fill  your  computer  needs 
with  the  industry’s 
most  professional  microcomputers 


#1  IN  RELIABILITY 

When  you  choose  Cromemco  you 
get  not  only  the  industry’s  finest 
microcomputers  but  also  the  indus- 
try's widest  microcomputer  selec- 
tion. 

What's  more,  you  get  a computer 
from  the  manufacturer  that  compu- 
ter dealers  rate  #1  in  product  re- 
liability.* 

Your  range  of  choice  includes 
our  advanced  System  Three  with 
up  to  four  8"  disk  drives.  Or  choose 
from  the  System  Two  and  Z-2D  with 
5"  drives.  Then  for  ROM-based  work 
there's  the  Z2.  Each  of  these  com- 
puters further  offers  up  to  Vz  mega- 
byte of  RAM  (or  ROM). 

We  say  these  are  the  industry’s 
most  professional  microcomputers 
because  they  have  outstanding  fea- 
tures like  these: 

• Z-80A  microprocessor  — oper- 
ates at  250  nanosecond  cycle 
time  — nearly  twice  the  speed  of 
most  others. 


•Rated  in  The  1977  Computer  Store 
Survey  by  Image  Resources,  Westlake 
Village,  CA. 


a 


Up  to  512  kilobytes  of  RAM  and 
1 megabyte  of  disk  storage 


SI 


System  Three 
Two  to  four  disks 
Up  to  51 2K  of  RAM/ROM 
Up  to  1 megabyte  of  disk 

• 30-amp  power  supply  — more 
than  adequate  for  your  most 
demanding  application. 

• 21  card  slots  to  allow  for  un- 
paralleled system  expansion  us- 
ing industry-standard  S-100 
cards. 

• S-100  bus  — don't  overlook  how 
important  this  is.  It  has  the  in- 
dustry’s widest  support  and  Cro- 
memco has  professionally  imple- 
mented it  in  a fully-shielded 
design. 


Cromemco 

incorporated 
Specialists  in  computers  and  peripherals 
280  BERNARDO  AVE..  MOUNTAIN  VIEW,  CA  94040 


• Cromemco  card  support  of  more 
than  a dozen  circuit  cards  for 
process  control,  business  sys- 
tems, and  data  acquisition  in- 
cluding cards  for  A-D  and  D-A 
conversion,  for  interfacing  daisy- 
wheel  or  dot-matrix  printers,  even 
a card  for  programming  PROMs. 

• The  industry’s  most  professional 
software  support,  including 
COBOL,  FORTRAN  IV,  16K  Disk- 
Extended  BASIC,  Z-80  Macro 
Assembler,  Cromemco  Multi- 
User  Operating  System  — and 
more  coming. 

• Rugged,  professional  all-metal 
construction  for  rack  (or  bench 
or  floor  cabinet)  mounting.  Cab- 
inets available. 

FOR  TODAY  AND  TOMORROW 

Cromemco  computers  will  meet 
your  needs  now  and  in  the  future 
because  of  their  unquestioned  tech- 
nical leadership,  professionalism 
and  enormous  expandability. 

See  them  today  at  your  dealer. 
There’s  no  substitute  for  getting 
the  best. 


CIRCLEINQUmYN0.11 


(415)  964-7400 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  1 


VOL 

SINCE 


3,  ISSUE  10 

DECEMBER  1975 


nuicnittLc  tfuc 


THIS  MONTH’S  COVER 

Hardware  has  been  the  primary 
concern  of  the  new  microcomputer 
industry  and  in  the  last  three  years, 
the  capabilities  have  become  al- 
most unbelievable  in  respect  to  the 
original  designs. 

The  cover  depicts  the  printed  cir- 
cuit boards  that  carry  the  data  sig- 
nals within  the  computer  system. 
The  reflective  convergence  of  the 
cover  epitomizes  the  industry’s  goal 
to  bring  dreams  to  reality. 

The  cover  was  provided  courtesy 
of  Multi  Link,  2121  South  Man- 
chester Avenue,  Anaheim,  Califor- 
nia, and  Is  an  example  of  their  cus- 
tom designed  planar  boards. 


Advertiser  Index  

Calendar 

The  Column 

Editor's  Notebook 

FIFO  Flea  Market Q . . . 
From  the  Fountainhead 
Inventor's  Sketchpad  . . 
Letters  to  the  Editor  . . . 

Micro-Market 

Mind  Revolution  

New  Products 

Update 

White  Collar 

Microcomputer 


OCTOBER  1978 


COMPUTING  FOR  HOME  AND  BUSINESS  APPUCAT 


GENERAL  FEATURES 

INDEX  TO  HARDWARE  61 


GENERAL  FEATURES 

INDEX  TO  HARDWARE  61 

FIRST  ANNUAL  REVIEW  OF  AVAILABLE  HARD- 
WARE FROM  TOTAL  SYSTEMS  TO  PERIPHERALS 

A LOOK  AT  VECTOR  GRAPHIC  AND  THE  MZ 72 


A BRIEF  INSIGHT  INTO  THE  ENGINEERING  by  Carl  Warren.  Senior  Editor 

KNOW-HOW  BEHIND  VECTOR  GRAPHIC 

PRODUCTS 


A SPECIAL  FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  METHOD 

AND  ITS  APPLICATION 74 

A PROGRAM  TO  ASSIST  IN  CALCULATING  by  Dr.  Endre  Semonyi 

VARIABLE  FUNCTIONS. 

THE  AUTO  INDUSTRY  MOVES  TO  MICROPROCESSORS 78 


THE  AUTHORS  REVIEW  SOME  OF  THE  CUR-  by  Robert  S.  Kosler,  M B A.  and  Leslie  D.  Ball,  Ph.D. 
RENT  USES  OF  MICROS  IN  THE  AUTO  INDUS- 
TRY AND  OFFER  THEIR  THOUGHTS  ON  FUR- 
THER POSSIBILITIES 


THE  6800  INVADES  THE  DARKROOM 82 

HOW  TO  USE  THE  6800  AS  A DARKROOM  by  R.B.  Lang  P.E.  and  C.J.  Lang 

CONTROLLER. 

COMPUTER  GENERATED  MORSE  CODE 86 

HAMS,  HERE'S  A CHANCE  TO  UPGRADE  YOUR  by  Jim  McClure 
CW  ABILITIES. 

BUSINESS  FEATURES 

BUSINESS  EDITORIAL  — BUSINESS  MICROCOMPUTERS 

FRAUD  OR  REALITY 90 

by  Rodney  Zaks,  Sybex  Inc. 

OVERVIEW  OF  A BUSINESS  COMPUTER  SYSTEM 92 

by  James  Kltzmiller,  Kitzmiller  Systems 

THE  AUTOMATED  ATTORNEY 96 

by  Matthew  Tekulsky 

HARDWARE  FEATURES 

HARD  COPY:  WHY  NOT  THE  BEST?  GO  DAISYWHEEL  98 

by  John  MacDougall 

SOFTWARE  FEATURES 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  TEX  LANGUAGE  - PART  III  126 

by  R.  W.  Berner 

GP  MONITOR  FOR  M6800  — 4K-8K-16K  or  32K  132 

by  William  E.  Warren 

A TEXT  EDITOR  FOR  XEK  AND  PTCO  ASSEMBLIES 138 


by  Dr.  Alan  R.  Miller,  Contributing  Editor 


INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine,  published  monthly  by  McPheters.  Wolfe  & Jones,  16704  Marquardt  Ave.,  Cerritos.  CA  90701.  Subscription  rates:  U.S.  $14.00. 
Canada/Mexico  $16.00,  all  other  countries  $24.00.  Make  checks  payable  In  U.S.  funds  drawn  on  a U.S.  bank.  Opinions  expressed  in  by-lined  articles  do 
not  necessarily  reflect  the  opinion  of  this  magazine  or  the  publisher.  Mention  of  products  by  trade  name  in  editorial  material  or  advertisements  contained 
herein  in  no  way  constitutes  endorsement  of  the  product  or  products  by  this  magazine  or  the  publisher 

INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine  COPYRIGHT  © 1978  by  McPheters,  Wolfe  & Jones.  ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED.  Material  In  this  publication  may  not  be 
reproduced  in  any  form  without  permission.  Requests  for  permission  should  be  directed  to  Joanna  Kondrath,  Rights  and  Permission,  McPheters  Wolfe 
& Jones,  16704  Marquardt  Ave.,  Cerritos.  CA  90701.  INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine  is  catalogued  In  the  Library  of  Congress,  Classification  No  QA75  5 155 
Membership  in  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations  applied  for. 

POSTMASTER:  Please  send  change  of  address  form  3579  and  undelivered  copies  to  INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine.  16704  Marquardt  Ave  Cerritos  CA 
90701.  Second-class  postage  paid  at  Artesia,  California  90701  and  at  additional  mailing  offices. 


2 INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBEFI  1978 


Considering  a Microcomputer? 

Be  Sure  to  Check  Out  the  Product  Offerings  of  the  World’s  Largest 
Full  Line  Microcomputer  Company. 


Minimum 

Configuration 


Base 

Price 


4K  RAM  $ 279 


4K  RAM  S 349 
16K  RAM  $1190 


4K  RAM 
4K  RAM 

16K  RAM 
16K  RAM 


598 

799 


$1464 

$1738 


32K  RAM  $2597 


All  Ohio  Scientific  machines  come  with  microcomputing's  fastest  full 
feature  BASIC-in-ROM  or  on-Disk  for  instant  use. 

Challenger  I Series 

Economical  computer  systems  that  talk  in  BASIC. 

Ideal  for  hobbyists,  students,  education  and  the  home. 

Superboard  II  — World's  first  complete  system  on  a board 
including  keyboard,  video  display,  audio 
cassette,  BASIC-in-ROM  and  up  to  8K  RAM 
Challenger  IP  — Fully  packaged  Superboard  II  with 
power  supply 

Challenger  IP  Disk  — Complete  mini-floppy  system 
expandable  to  32K  RAM 

Challenger  IIP  Series 

Ultra  high  performance  BUS  oriented  microcomputers  for 
personal,  educational,  research  and  small  business  use. 

C2-4P  — The  professional  portable 
C2-8P  — The  world's  most  expandable  personal  machine 
for  business  or  research  applications 
C2-4P  Disk  — The  ultimate  portable 
C2-8P  Single  Disk  — Ideal  for  education,  advanced 
personal  users,  etc. 

C2-8P  Dual  Disk  — Most  cost  effective  small 
business  system 

Challenger  II  Serial  Interface  Series 

Same  great  features  as  Challenger  IIP  Series  for  those  who 
have  serial  terminals:  small  business,  education,  industry. 

C2-0 — Great  starter  for  users  with  a terminal 
C2-1  — Great  timeshare  user  accessory;  cuts  costs 
by  running  simple  BASIC  programs  locally 
C2-8S — Highly  expandable  serial  machine,  can 
add  disks,  etc. 

Challenger  III  The  Ultimate  in  Small  Computers 

The  unique  three  processor  system  for  demanding  business, 
education,  research  and  industrial  development  applications. 

C3-S1  — World's  most  popular  8"  floppy  based  32K  RAM  $3590 

microcomputer  dual  floppys 

C3-OEM  — Single  package  high  volume  user  version  32K  RAM  $3590 

of  C3-S1  dual  floppys 

C3-A  — Rack  mounted  multi-user  business  system  48K  RAM  $5090 

directly  expandabe  to  C3-B  dual  floppys 

C3-B  — 74  million  byte  Winchester  disk  based  system.  48K  RAM  $1 1 ,090 
World's  most  powerful  microcomputer  dual  floppys 

OHIO  SCIENTIFIC  also  offers  you  the  broadest  line  of  expansion 
accessories  and  the  largest  selection  of  affordable  software! 

Compare  the  closest  Ohio  Scientific  Model  to  any  other  unit  you  are  con- 
sidering. Compare  the  performance,  real  expansion  ability,  software  and 
price,  and  you  will  see  why  we  have  become  the  world’s  largest  full  line 
microcomputer  company. 


4K  RAM 
4K  RAM 


298 

498 


4K  RAM  $ 545 


* I’m  interested  in  OSI  Computers.  Send  me  information  on: 

• □ Personal  Computers  □ Small  Business  Computers 

I □ Educational  Systems  □ Industrial  Development  Systems 

I □ I’m  enclosing  $1.00  for  your  64-page  small  computer  buyer's  guide. 

| Ohio  residents  add  4%  tax 

I Name  


Address 


I 
I 

| City  _ 

' State 

I. 


-Zip- 


1333  S.  Chillicothe  Road 
Aurora,  Ohio  44202 
(216)  562-3101 


Phone 


Tba 

C2-4P 

The  Profeestanal  Portable 
by  Ohio  Scientific 


The 

C2-8P 

An  exceptional  value 
in  personal  computing 


=SS3SS3: 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  41 


INTERFACE  AGE  3 


The  EAS 
Floppy  Disk 
System 

If  you  like  our  features, 
you’ll  love  our  price! 


• Dual  Shugart  drives. 

• Controller  with  Western  Digital  1771 
B controller  chip  and  on  board  prom 
boot  strap  loader  for  CP/M™  which 
is  the  disk  operating  system  software 
recommended  and  available  from 
EAS  for  the  S-100  system. 

• Power  supply. 

• Interface. 


• All  cables. 


• Formatting  diskette  capability,  avail- 
able with  or  without  controller. 
[Capable  of  formatting  Diskettes] 

• Wood  cabinetry  for  improved  appear- 
ance. 

• Assembled  and  tested. 

• 90  day  guarantee. 


Electro  Analytic  Systems , Inc. 


P.  o.  Box  102 

Ledgewood,  New  Jersey  07852 
Phone:  (201)  584-8284 


CP/M  '•  is  a trademark  ol  Digital  Research,  Inc 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  17 


IfUTERr^f  SEE 

16704  Marquardt  Avenue,  Cerritos,  CA  90701 
(213)  926-9544 

PUBLISHER  & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF  ROBERT  S.  JONES 
EXECUTIVE  PUBLISHER  NANCY  A.  JONES 
ASSISTANT-TO-THE-PUBLISHER  JOANNA  KONDRATH 
GENERAL  MANAGER  EVA  YAKA 

ADMINISTRATION 

PUBLICATION  DIRECTOR  MIKE  ANTICH 
PUBLICATION  ASSISTANT  DENISE  JACKSON 
SUBSCRIPTION  CIRCULATION  JO  ANN  FERGUSON 
DOMESTIC  RETAIL  CIRCULATION  ZACH  BOVINETTE 
(213)  795-7002 

CIRCULATION  ASSISTANT  CHARLOTTE  SEVEDGE 
CIRCULATION  SECRETARY  TONI  DOTY 
ACCOUNTING  ASSISTANT  SAYOKO  TANISAKI 

EDITORIAL 

SENIOR  EDITOR  CARL  WARREN 
ASSISTANT  EDITOR  SANDRA  EVANS 

NORTHWESTERN  REGIONAL  EDITOR  ADAM  OSBORNE,  PhD 
NORTHEASTERN  REGIONAL  EDITOR  ROGER  C.  GARRETT 
SOUTHEASTERN  REGIONAL  EDITOR  BILL  TURNER 
HARDWARE  EDITOR  ROGER  EDELSON 
CONTRIBUTING  EDITOR  ALAN  MILLER 
Editorial  Correspondence 

Direct  all  correspondence  to  the  appropriate  editor  at:  INTERFACE  AGE 
Magazine,  P.O.  Box  1234,  Cerritos.  CA  90701. 

PRODUCTION 

PRODUCTION  MANAGER  MARGARET  FENSTERMAKER 

ASSISTANT  PRODUCTION  MANAGER  SHELLEY  WRIGHT 
ART  DIRECTOR  FINO  ORTIZ 
ARTIST  SAMANTHA  LEE 
TYPOGRAPHER  MELODY  A.  MARTENS 

ADVERTISING 

NEW  ENGLAND  REGION  DICK  GREEN 
7 Lincoln  St.,  Wakelield,  MA  018S0  (617)  245-9105 

EASTERN  REGION  TONY  CARLSON 
20  Community  PI.,  Morristown,  NJ  07960  (201)  267-3032 

MIDWEST  REGION  AL  GRAVENHORST  & STEVE  SKINNER 

5901  N.  Cicero  Ave.,  Chicago,  IL  60046  (312)  545-8621 

WESTERN  REGION  BRUCE  BERKEY  & ZACH  BOVINETTE 
DENIS  SEGER 

61  S.  Lake  Ave.,  Pasadena,  CA  91 106  (213)  795-7002 
COMPUTER  RETAIL  STORES  NATIONWIDE 
CALL  (213)  795-7002  (COLLECT) 

FOREIGN  CIRCULATION 

JAPAN  CIRCULATION  KAZUHIKO  NISHI 

ASCII  Publishing  - 305  HI  TORIO,  5-6-4  Mlnaml  Aoyama,  Minato-ku, 

Tokyo  107  Japan 

Telephone:  (03)  407-4910 

UNITED  KINGDOM  CIRCULATION  VINCENT  COEN 

L.P.  Enterprise,  313  Kingston  Road,  Ilford,  Essex.  England  IGIIPJ. 

Telephone:  01-553-1001 

FRANCE  CIRCULATION  ROLAND  HESSE 

Euro  Computer  Shop  Paris,  16,  Rue  Louis  Pasteur,  92100  Boulogne,  France 
Telephone:  Paris  825-82-52 

WESTERN  CANADA  CIRCULATION  BRIAN  I.J.  WIEBE 
Kltronlc,  25236  26th  Avenue  RR5,  Aldergrove,  B.C.  VOX  1A0 
Telephone:  (604)  856-2301 

EASTERN  CANADA  CIRCULATION  LIZ  JANEK 

RS-232,  Ltd.,  186  Queen  Street  West,  Toronto,  Ontario  M5V  1Z1 

Telephone:  (426)  598-0288 

AUSTRALIA  CIRCULATION  R.  J.  HOESS 

Electronic  Concepts  Pty.  Ltd.,  52-58  Clarence  Street,  Sydney  NSW  2000 
Telephone:  29-3753 

INDONESIA.  SINGAPORE,  MALAYSIA  CIRCULATION  LEE  MILES 
The  Computer  Centre,  Pte.  Ltd.,  5366,  Woh  Hup  Complex 
Beach  Rd.  Singapore  7 
Telephone:  293-2630 

MEMBER  OF  THE  WESTERN  mTS 
PUBLICATIONS  ASSOCIATION 


AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF 
BUSINESS  PRESS  EDITORS 


7*f 


"Our  goal  was  to  produce  100% 
reliable  business  programs." 


“What  do  we  mean  by  reliable  programs?  Three 
things:  good  program  design,  documentation,  and 
full  support. 

DESIGN  Good  program  design  meets  a wide 
variety  of  customer  needs  without  reprogramming. 


Keith  Parsons.  President 

Alan  Cooper.  VP.  Systems  Development 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  53 


Our  programs  are  comprehensive  yet  retain  their 
flexibility.  They  allow  convenient  backup,  are  easy 
to  use  and  have  been  thoroughly  tested  and  field 
proven. 

DOCUMENTATION  We  consider  the  quality  of 
the  documentation  to  be  as  important  as  the 
programs  themselves.  That’s  why  our  manuals 
are  clear,  concise  and  complete. 

SUPPORT  And  when  it  comes  to  support  we’re 
second  to  none.  We  release  periodic  updates, 
answer  your  questions  and  are  available  to  provide 
technical  assistance.  Now  that's  reliable.”  • 

Our  growing  Business  Systems  series  currently 
includes:  GENERAL  LEDGER.  ACCOUNTS 
RECEIVABLE.  NAD  (Name  and  Address  File 
system).  QSORT  (full  disk  sort/merge),  and 
CBASIC  (a  powerful  business  Basic).  For  details, 
contact  our  sales  manager,  Richard  Ellman. 

Structured  Jy/lem/  Group 

5615  KALES  AVE.  DEPT.  IA6  OAKLAND,  CA  04618  (415)  547-1567 

All  systems  are  compatible  /nth  any  2 HO  or  6060  CP/M,r/  system 


NOTCIRMGi 


The  last  several  weeks  have  really  been  exciting  from 
my  viewpoint.  Many  manufacturers  are  finishing  up  their 
new  entrants  to  the  market  and  are  really  starting  to  get 
enthused. 

Nancy  Millican  of  MECA,  the  people  who  make  the 
Alpha  I tape  system,  informed  me  that  they  are  about  to 
announce  their  Delta  I disk  system.  The  Delta  I works  in 
tandem  with  their  tape  system  and  provides  the  very 
first  total  storage  package  for  the  microcomputer 
market.  Nancy  said  that  with  the  way  things  are  going  it 
looks  like  they  wil  be  able  to  ship  by  late  November  or  at 
the  latest  early  December. 

Another  company  that  has  been  doing  some  really  ex- 
citing work  is  “exatron"  of  Sunnyvale,  California.  This 
little  company  owned  by  Bob  Howell  is  the  manufacturer 
of  a unique  device  called  the  “Stringy  Floppy’’.  This 
machine  is  a small  continuous  tape  loop  device  which 
provides  the  speed  of  a floppy  and  the  convenience  of 
tape.  The  Stringy  Floppy  is  designed  primarily  for  S-100 
bus  type  machines,  but  Bob  has  been  working  the  last 
several  months  on  developing  an  interface  for  6800  based 
machines.  From  last  reports  it’s  just  around  the  corner 
and  will  appear  first  in  the  pages  of  INTERFACE  AGE. 

A LOOK  AT  SMOKE  SIGNAL  BROADCASTING 

This  month's  profile  is  about  a small  company  known 
to  6800  users  called  Smoke  Signal  Broadcasting.  This 
company  came  into  being  about  a year  and  a half  ago 
with  the  sole  purpose  of  supplying  extras  to  the  South- 
west Technical  Products  6800  microcomputer. 

Originaly  Smoke  Signal  developed  a 16K  static  RAM 
board  which  works  extremely  well  in  the  SWTP  system. 
However,  in  the  last  several  months  they  have  been 
developing  5.25-inch  floppies  with  controller  and  are 
currently  planning  an  8-inch  disk  system. 


With  the  Floppy  system  they  provide  a disk  operating 
system  that  makes  use  of  random  access  files.  We  plan 
a review  by  Bill  Turner  on  the  capabilities  of  this  DOS. 

Smoke  Signal  is  in  the  process  of  preparing  their  very 
first  total  computer  system,  as  of  this  writing  still  un- 
named. This  6800  system  utilizes  a well  designed 
mother  board  with  gold  molex  pin  connectors,  built-in 
dual  floppies,  and  up  to  64K  of  memory.  The  formal  an- 


nouncement of  the  system  will  be  in  the  November  New 
Products  directory  of  INTERFACE  AGE. 

The  guiding  light  behind  Smoke  Signal  is  Ric  Ham- 
mond, president.  Ric  has  taken  the  approach  that  the 
way  to  run  a microcomputer  business  is  to  stay  current 
with  the  market  needs  but  at  the  same  time  avoid  trying 
to  market  too  many  products  at  a time. 

Apparently  this  philosophy  has  worked  well  for  them. 
As  a result  Smoke  Signal  has  not  suffered  the  financial 
difficulties  that  are  plaguing  several  other  manufacturers. 

Heading  up  the  software  side  of  Smoke  Signal  is 
Roger  Embree,  manager  of  software  systems.  Roger 
developed  the  DOS  and  has  made  decisions  to  use  the 
TSC  assembler/editor  and  Software  Dynamics  BASIC 
compiler  as  part  of  the  supplied  software  packages. 
They  also  supply  a BASIC  interpreter  from  Computer- 
ware.  Roger's  goal  is  to  ensure  that  only  the  best  pos- 
sible software  is  supplied  to  Smoke  Signal  users. 

Rounding  out  the  team  is  Ed  Martin,  marketing  direc- 
tor. Ed  brought  over  14  years  of  hardware  and  marketing 
knowhow  to  the  company.  When  I asked  him  why  he  left 
the  security  of  a larger  company  to  come  to  Smoke 
Signal,  his  reply  was  like  most  of  ours  in  this  industry:  “I 
see  a dynamic  company  with  a great  big  chance  to  grow 
and  a place  where  my  marketing  talents  can  be  really 
put  to  the  test.” 

Ed  is  obviously  up  to  the  test;  through  his  efforts 
Smoke  Signal  has  really  become  one  of  the  major  con- 
tenders for  the  6800  market  share. 

Smoke  Signal  is  a small  growing  company  with  a 
great  outlook.  For  those  users  and  distributors  inter- 
ested In  more  information  regarding  Smoke  Signal  and 
their  products  contact:  Ed  Martin  — Marketing  Dftec- 
tor,  Smoke  Signal  Broadcasting,  6394  Yucca,  Holly- 
wood, CA  90028,  or  call  (213)  462-5652. 

ANOTHER  IMPORTANT  BOOK  AVAILABLE 

Books  are  one  of  the  important  tools  of  our  industry, 
but  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  find  the  exact  one  you 
need  to  help  solve  a problem.  The  folks  at  The  Computer 
Bookstore  recently  sent  me  a pre-release  copy  of  the 
booklet:  Master  List  of  Computer  Books,  spring  edition. 
This  booklet  sells  for  $1.50  and  is  really  a must  to  round 
out  the  computer  reference  library.  The  book  lists  a 
number  of  reference  sources  and  provides  an  order  form 
so  a reader  can  order  them  quickly.  The  booklet  can  be 
obtained  from  The  Computer  Bookstore,  796  Navy 
Street,  Fort  Walton  Beach,  FL  32548. 

MYKRO  CORPORATION  AND  IAPS™ 

George  Sutton,  the  president  of  Mykro  Corporation 
just  recently  sent  me  the  updated  version  of  the  IAPS™ 


6 INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


Is  your  TRASH  FLOW  higher 
than  your  CASH  FLOW? 


If  you're  a businessman,  we  know  how 
difficult  it  is  to  keep  neat  and  efficient  ac- 
counting records.  Let  our  VERSATILE 
systems  do  it  for  you.  You'll  have  a com- 
plete system  built  into  a single  cabinet,  and 
a free  software  library  on  diskette  to  get 
your  computer  working  for  you  the  first 
day.  $3295  Assembled  and  tested. 

WHAT  ELSE  DOES  A COMPLETE 
SYSTEM  NEED? 


5460  Fairmont  Drive  •Wilmington,  Delaware  19808  *302-738-0933 


Contact  Our  Distributors  for 
Regional  Sales  and  Service 


Alexander  & Co.,  Inc. 
5518  Florin  Road 
Sacramento,  CA  95823 
(916)422-9070 


Huron  Electronics 
415  N.  Silver 
Bad  Axe,  Mich.  48413 
(517)  269-9267 


The  Computer  Store 
3801  Kirby  Dr.,  Suite  432 
Houston,  Texas  77098 
(713)  522-7845 


Southeast  Representative: 

Scientific  Sales  Co. 

175  W.  Wieuca,  Suite  210 
Atlanta,  GA  30342 
(404)  252-6808 


DealerApplications  Available. 


COMPUTER  DATA  SYSTEMS 


SOFTWARE  LIBRARY 

Five  diskettes  are  included  to  give  you 
immediate  operating  and  programming 
capabilities. 

DISK  1 is  a master  diskette  with  BASIC, 
MDOS,  Text  Editor,  Assembler  and 
more! 

DISK  2 has  many  games  including  LUNAR, 
CRAPS,  and  SPLAT.  There's  room  left 
for  you  to  add  your  own. 

DISK  3 contains  a Small  Business  Account- 
ing package  which  includes  Accounts 
Payable  and  Receivable,  Inventory,  a 
General  Ledger,  and  more. 

DISKS  4 & 5 are  blank  so  you  may  add 


your  own  programs. 

Clean  It  up  with 
a VERSATILE  3B 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  8 


INTERFACE  AGE  7 


DYNABYTE  COMPUTERS 
ARE  ALL  BUSINESS 
INSIDE  AND  OUT. 


When  we  designed  our  new  small 
business  computers,  we  meant  busi- 
ness. 

As  basic  as  that  seems,  it  is  unique. 
Just  about  every  other  microcomputer 
being  sold  as  a small  business  system 
today  was  originally  designed  as  a kit 
for  hobbyists. 

Every  design  decision  was  made 
with  quality  and  reliability  in  mind.  The 
result  is  dependable  performance  and  a 
solid  appearance  for  business,  profes- 
sional and  scientific  applications. 

FIRST  SMALL  SYSTEM  WITH 
BIG  SYSTEM  STORAGE 

Many  applications  handle  large 
quantities  of  information,  so  the  DB8/2 
uses  two  quad  density  5-inch  disk 
drives  with  our  exclusive  Dual  Density 
Disk  Controller  for  up  to  1 .2  megabytes 
of  formatted  storage.  That’s  more 
capacity  than  two  single  density  8-inch 
drives. 

If  you  need  more  storage,  our 
DB8/4  has  two  8-inch  drives  with  up  to 
2 megabytes  capacity,  more  than  any 
other  dual  floppy  disk  system  on  the 
market. 

OUR  SOFTWARE  IS 
BIG  ON  BUSINESS 

Dynabyte  helps  you  get  down  to 
business  immediately.  The  DB8/2  is  the 
first  microcomputer  to  offer  enough 
storage  capacity  on  5-inch  drives  to 
fully  utilize  CP/M,*  the  most  widely 
accepted  disk  operating  system.  We 
also  supply  and  support  BASIC,  FOR- 

* CPfM  i»  a trademark  of  Digital  Research 


TRAN  and  COBOL  programming  lan- 
guages. Our  applications  packages  in- 
clude general  ledger,  accounts  receiv- 
able, word  processing  and  many  other 
CP/M  compatible  programs. 

Reliability  is  a big  consideration  in 
buying  a business  computer,  so  we  built 
it  in.  Our  edge  connectors  meet  military 
specifications,  the  toughest  electronics 
manufacturing  standard.  Our  regulated 
power  supply  is  designed  to  meet  U.L. 
standards,  which  means  the  entire  sys- 
tem runs  cool  and  dependable.  And  our 
cast  aluminum  enclosures  are  rugged  as 
well  as  attractive. 

AND  THE  BIGGEST 
THING  OF  ALL 

Customer  support.  Our  support 
starts  at  the  factory  with  testing  and 
bum-in  programs  that  assure  the  entire 
integrated  system  is  reliable  prior  to 
shipment.  Our  completely  modular  de- 
sign allows  continuing  support  in  the 
field.  We  maintain  a bonded  inventory 
of  all  sub-system  modules  which  means 
we  can  deliver  replacement  sub- 
assemblies  overnight  nearly  anywhere 
in  the  continental  U.S. 

Dynabyte  built  in  little  things,  too. 
Like  a fully-populated  12-slot 
backplane,  switched  AC  outlets  for  ac- 
cessories, an  option  for  European 
power,  quiet  whisper  fans  with  long-life 
metal  construction,  lighted  indicator 
switches  for  Power  On  and  Halt,  a 
shielded  enclosure  to  protect  disk  drives 
from  electro-mechanical  interference, 
and  a fully  enclosed  power  supply  for 


operator  safety. 

Since  we  didn't  cut  comers  in  de- 
sign, the  price/performance  ratios  of 
our  systems  make  good  business  sense. 

THE  INSIDE  FACTS 

The  DB8/2  Computer  System  in- 
cludes two  5-inch  disk  drives  either 
single  or  double  sided  for  up  to  1.2 
megabytes  of  mass  storage;  a 4MHz 
Z-80  processing  module  with  one 
parallel  and  two  serial  ports,  an 
EPROM  programmer  and  up  to  4k 
ROM;  32k  of  RAM.  a 12-slot  fully- 
populated  backplane;  our  exclusive 
Dual  Density  Disk  Controller,  and 
CP/M. 

The  DB8/1  Computer  includes  a 
4MHz  Z-80  processor  with  one  parallel 
and  two  serial  I/O  ports,  an  EPROM 
programmer  and  up  to  4k  of  ROM;  32k 
RAM,  and  a 12-slot  fully-populated 
backplane. 

The  DB8/4  Disk  System,  designed 
to  be  the  mass  storage  companion  to  the 
DB8/1 , includes  two  8-inch  floppy  disk 
drives  in  either  single  or  double  sided 
configuration  for  up  to  2 megabytes  of 
mass  storage,  our  Dual  Density  Disk 
Controller,  and  CP/M. 

All  three  units  will  be  available  in 
rack  mount  models. 

For  a descriptive  brochure  and 
price  list,  call  or  write  Dynabyte,  1005 
Elwell  Court,  Palo  Alto,  CA  94303. 
Phone  (415)  965-1010. 


Or  better  yet,  see  your  local  dealer. 


YOU  CAN  DEPEND  ON  IT. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  16 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  9 


Z- 80  program.  George  has  helped  us  a great  deal  in 
removing  some  of  the  bugs  that  crept  into  the  develop- 
ment of  the  standard.  Mykro  manufactures  a K.C  I/O 
Cassette  Recorder  Interface.  The  interface  comes  com- 
pletely assembled  with  a bonus  of  the  object  tape  of 
IAPS.  The  Mykro  interface  and  IAPS  make  it  possible  to 
get  the  most  out  of  your  system  in  making  totally  port- 
able tapes  and  reading  IAPS  formatted  Floppy  ROMs. 

The  Mykro  interface  is  available  for  $129.00  by  con- 
tacting George  Sutton,  Mykro  Corporation,  P.O.  Box 
433,  Los  Altos,  CA  94022  or  calling  (408)  733-8221. 

ANOTHER  CONSULTANT  ANSWERS  CALL 

In  my  August  column  I requested  anyone  who  is  in  the 
consultant  business  to  drop  me  a note,  and  I have  now 
been  getting  responses. 

The  most  recent  that  we  have  found  is  Marvin  Mallon 
of  Compu-Quote.  Marvin’s  speciality  is  business  and  in- 
dustrial applications.  Working  with  a number  of  area 
dealers,  he  is  able  to  provide  a total  service  from  estab- 
lishing the  hardware  to  preparing  the  application.  For 
anyone  interested  in  Mr.  Mallon’s  service,  he  can  be 
contacted  at: 

Compu-Quote 
6914  Berquist  Avenue 
Canoga  Park,  CA  91307 
(213)  348-3662 

I would  like  to  hear  from  consultants  in  the  midwest 
and  east,  so  if  you’re  in  the  business,  drop  me  a note. 

GREAT  EXPECTATIONS:  CAN  WE  HAVE  THEM? 

Those  of  you  who  were  at  Personal  Computing  in 
Philadelphia  this  year  probably  recognize  the  head  as 
the  title  of  my  talk. 

Essentially,  I was  alluding  to  the  impractability  of 
thinking  that  business  systems  which  will  handle  all  the 


necessary  accounting  problems  can  be  obtained  for  600 
dollars.  Unfortunately,  the  industry  has  been  giving  the 
impression  that  the  general  business  computer  user 
can  expect  to  have  the  same  level  of  expectation  from  a 
600  dollar  micro  as  from  a 25  thousand  dollar  mini  or  a 
multi  million  dollar  maxi.  It  just  ain’t  so! 

Microcomputers  are  in  the  third  generation  of  iron 
development  but  still  in  the  last  half  of  the  first  genera- 
tion software.  However,  there  is  hope  due  to  the  efforts 
of  many  of  the  systems  software  designers  and  the 
growth  of  application  designers.  But  regardless  of  how 
well  these  people  do  their  jobs,  the  600  dollar  business 
machine  will  not  exist. 

Consequently,  it  is  extremely  important  that  not  only 
the  user  educate  himself  but  the  vendor  of  business 
systems  do  so  also.  Pretending  that  high  level  cap- 
ability, flexibility  and  reliability  can  be  found  in  less  than 
adequate  machines  is  foolhardy  on  everybody’s  part. 

The  consumer  computer  is  another  area  in  which  the 
industry  has  been  fooling  the  public.  The  consumer 
computer  is  not  a fact  or  even  a probable  reality  in  the 
foreseeable  future.  The  reason  for  this  is  very  clear  in 
my  mind.  Why  would  anyone  buy  three  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  hardware  to  do  a job  that  a ten  dollar  timer  from 
the  hardware  store  will  do  equally  as  well?  Or  as  one 
reader  that  I talked  to  put  it:  “My  wife  doesn’t  even 
balance  the  checkbook  now,  so  how  can  I expect  her  to 
do  it  on  a computer?” 

Even  though  I enjoy  computers  more  than  most,  I really 
think  that  putting  them  into  all  aspects  of  daily  life 
would  be  a travesty  rather  than  a help.  Already  we  have 
become  too  oriented  to  relying  on  so-called  work  saving 
devices  than  on  our  own  initiative.  Personally  I think  it 
would  be  better  to  keep  the  computer  in  business  and 
industry  and  maintain  our  personal  abilities  as  humans. 

—carl 


NEW  BESTSELLERS - 


I y.*SL?A 

y 

■ 

yfxL 

i 

1 

He 


MICROCOMPUTER 

PROGRAMMING 

nun 

7 r£. 

■'  / : \ 

r * m 
l 


ST** 


S^THC*‘SirT,S 


INTRODUCTION  TO  PERSONAL  AND  BUSINESS  COMPUTING  PROGRAMMING  MICR0C0MPUTERS-.6502 

By  Rodnoy  Zaks.  250  pp.  rel  C2QO  $6.95  By  Rodnay  Zaks.  250  pp.  rel  C2Q2, 


S9.95 


new.  For  the  beginner.  How  to  use  and  purchase  a system,  trom 
the  microcomputer  box  to  the  peripherals.  Why.  Business  require- 
ments. How  to  fail.  Programming.  Which  BASIC? 

NOW  ALSO  AVAILABLE  ON  CASSETTES  ■ 3 hfS,  ref  SIO  $14.95 


MICROPROCESSORS:  from  chips  to  systems 

By  Rodnay  Zaks,  416  pp.  ref  C201 


$9.95 


USED  WORLDWIDE  as  UNIVERSITY  text.  A comprehensive,  yet 
detailed  and  clear  Introduction  to  all  aspects  ol  microprocessors 
How  they  work.  The  ROM.  RAM.  PIO.  UART.  How  to  interconnect. 
System  development. 


new.  How  to  program  microprocessors,  with  6502  examples: 
arithmetic,  input-output,  peripherals.  Interrupts.  An  educational 
text  requiring  no  prior  programming  knowledge,  yet  useful  to 
those  wanting  to  learn  about  specific  programming  techniques 
Applicable  to  PET,  KIM.  VIM,  APPLE. 

MICROPROCESSOR  INTERFACING  TECHNIQUES 

By  Austin  Lesea  and  Rodnay  Zaks.  416  pp,  ref  C207.  $9.95 

ALSO  USED  WORLDWIDE  AS  UNIVERSITY  TEXT.  How  to  connect  to 
all  the  usual  peripherals,  from  keyboard  to  floppy  disk,  including 
A/D.  displays,  standard  busses  (RS232.  SlOO,  IEEE  488)  and 
dynamic  RAMs. 


TO  ORDER 


• BY  PHONE:  call  (415)848-8233 
BankAmericard/Mastercharge  accepted 

• SHIPPING:  no  charge  when  payment 
included. 

ADD:  $1  50/boo k for  fast  shipping. 

• TAX:  in  California,  add  sales  tax. 

•OVERSEAS: 

SYBEX-EUROPE.313  rue  Lecourbe, 
75015  - PARIS.  France  Tel :( 1)8282502 


SYBEX 


2020  Mllvia  SI. 
Berkeley, 

Calif  94704 


POSITION 


STATE/ZIP 


NAME 

COMPANY  

ADDRESS 

CITY 

□ C201  □ C207  DC 200  QC202  OOTHER 
Payment  enclosed  Bill  company  Bill  me 
ADD  SI  50/BOOK  FOR  FAST  SHIPPING 
charge  my  Visa  Master  charge 

Number  Exp  date 

Signature D Send  catalog 

□ FREE  CATALOG/  ORDER  FORM  □ 


10  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  56 


OCTOBER  1978 


Everybody  with  brains 
is  buying  Radio  Shack’s 

$599  personal  computer: 

the  smart  new  way  to  save  money  and  time! 


fessional  full-size  53-key 
keyboard. 


ACT  NOW'  Get  details  and  order  today  at 
Rad'O  Sback  stores  and  dealers  >n  the 
USA  Canada  UK  Australia  Belgium 
Germany  Holland  France  Japan  Write 
Rao<o  Shack  D'v-sion  ot  Tandy  Corpora- 
t on  Depf  C-G38  '&QQ  One  Tandy  Center 
por»  Worth  Texas  76i02  Ask  *or  Catalog 
TRS-80 

Prices  n'av  vary  at  naivdua-  stores  aor  oeaiers 


Available  in  stock  at  Radio  Shack  — 
there's  a store  or  dealer  near  you! 

Service?  We've  got  it. 
Software?  Available,  and 
more  to  come.  Peripher- 
als? Order  our  printers, 
disk  drive,  added  mem- 
ory. Happy  customers? 

By  the  thousands.  Be- 
cause the  benefits  — aside 
from  our  breakthrough 
low  price  — include  ex- 
pandability, field-proven 
dependability,  and  con- 
sumer confidence  in 
Radio  Shack  and  its  par- 
ent Tandy  Corporation. 


Radio  /haek 

The  biggest  name  in  little  computers 


Radio  Shack's  ex- 
pandable TRS-80® 
system  is  already  the 
best-selling  microcompu- 
ter in  the  world.  For  three 
sman  reasons.  People  are 
brainy  enough  to  grasp  its 
usefulness.  People  find  it 
exceptionally  affordable. 
And  because  it’s  available 
from  stock  in  our  stores. 
It’s  that  simple! 


TRS-80  reduces  office  paperwork. 

Office  use?  Busi- 
nessmen are  quick  to 
realize  the  time  TRS-80 
saves  in  paperwork,  in 
updating  reports,  in 
bypassing  the  company's 
mainframe  system.  A 
satisfied  CPA  writes  of 
creating  "a  low-cost  in- 
house  system  that  will  al- 
leviate our  present  needs 
for  service  bureaus. 


Laboratory  work  is  simplified. 

Another  customer  con- 
siders “using  the  TRS-80 
for  controlling  industrial 
equipment  in  the  plant.” 
Another  has  programmed 
“income  tax  and  plotted 
Dow  Jones  averages  for 
last  year  . . . with  no 
previous  computer 
experience." 

Home  use?  It's  like 
one  of  the  family.  Radio 
Shack’s  TRS-80  can  plan 
menus,  convert  mea- 
surements, balance  bank 
books,  update  budgets, 
tutor  the  kids  in  math. 
TRS-80  will  even  enter- 
tain you  — it  loves 
to  play  games! 


Scientific  use? 
TRS-80  is  the  ideal  lab 
assistant.  Program  it 
to  catalog  specimens, 
classify  drugs,  perform 
the  numerous  statistical 
and  data  manipulation 
needs  of  clinical  labs. 


It's  expandable,  too  — add-on  RAM. 
ROM,  plus  printers  and  a disk  drive! 


Easy  to  use?  Yes! 
Radio  Shack's  232-page 
programming  manual 
has  won  plaudits  from 
doctors,  lawyers,  ac- 
countants, technicians, 
and  teachers.  If  you  can 
type,  TRS-80  has  a pro- 


mm mo  to  m oa  an 


« IK  III  W . _ ... 

«««  »M  <U»  u , I!  JJJ 

s-5S  is?;"*-* 

mis  » m «m 


& 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  11 


Is  personal 
computing 
worth  it? 

We  want  your  answers  at  the  NCC  79 
Personal  Computing  Festival. 

New  York  City,  June  4—7 


Has  personal  computing  been  worthwhile  for 
you?  Every  aspect  of  this  fast-growing  field  is 
being  questioned. ..from  the  effort  to  generalize  a 
subroutine  to  the  cost  of  the  latest  hardware.  What 
are  your  views? 

Some  key  questions  about  personal  computing 
need  answers.  How  is  personal  computing  en- 
riching our  lives  and  those  of  our  families  and 
associates?  What  is  its  potential?  What  are  we 
getting  for  our  investments  in  this  field?  Is  it  worth 
the  time,  effort,  cost. ..even  the  criticism? 

JOIN  THE  PERSONAL  COMPUTING  FESTIVAL 

You  can  answer  these  and  other  questions  by 
participating  in  the  Personal  Computing  Festival 
of  the  1979  National  Computer  Conference,  the 


most  comprehensive  computer  show  on  earth. 
Here's  how  you  can  participate: 

• Present  a paper 

• Give  a talk 

• Organize  a panel 

• Deliver  a tutorial 

• Demonstrate  your  application  and  equipment 
The  deadline  for  receipt  of  letters  of  intent  to 

participate  is  February  1 , 1979.  Accepted 
papers  will  be  published  in  the  1979  NCC 
Personal  Computing  Proceedings.  Honors  and 
prizes  will  be  awarded  for  the  best  papers  and 
application  demonstrations. 

For  more  details,  fill  in  and  return  this  coupon. 


NCC  79 


Personal  Computing  Festival 

c/o  American  Federation  of  Information 

Processing  Societies,  Inc. 

210  Summit  Avenue,  Montvale,  New  Jersey  07645 


I 

I 

I 


201/391-9810 
Send  me  more  details  on: 

□ Participating  in  a Personal  Computing  Festival  session. 

□ Demonstrating  my  personal  computing  application. 

□ Keeping  me  up-to-date  on  the  Personal  Computing  Festival. 

□ Exhibiting  my  company's  products  and  services  at  the  Personal 
Computing  Festival. 

Name 

Company 

Street 


City 


State 


Zip 


IA 


I 

I 

I 


12  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  40 


OCTOBER  1978 


In  performance.  In  quality.  In  availability.  OEMs,  educa- 
tors, engineers,  hobbyists,  students,  industrial  users: 
Our  Versatile  Interface  Module,  SYM-1,  is  a fully- 
assembled,  tested  and  warranted  microcomputer  board 
that’s  a true  single-board  computer,  complete  with 
keyboard  and  display.  All  you  do  is  provide  a +5V 
power  supply  and  SYM-1  gives  you  the  rest— and  that 
includes  fast  delivery  and  superior  quality. 

Key  features  include: 

• Hardware  compatibility  with  KIM-1  (MOS  Technol- 
ogy) products. 

• Standard  interfaces  include  audio  cassette  with 
remote  control;  both  8 bytes/second  (KIM)  and  185 
bytes/second  (SYM-1)  cassette  formats;  TTY  and 
RS232;  system  expansion  bus;  TV/KB  expansion 
board  interface;  four  I/O  buffers;  and  an  oscilloscope 
single-line  display. 

To  place  your  order  now,  contact  your  local  area  distributor  or  dealer. 


OEM  Distributors 

Kierulff  Electronics 

Sterling  Electronics  (Seattle  only) 

Zeus  Components 

Century/Bell 

Lionex 

Hallmark 

Intermark  Electronics 
Quality  Components 

OCTOBER  1978 


• 28  double-function  keypad  with  audio  response. 

• 4K  byte  ROM  resident  SUPERMON  monitor  includ- 
ing over  30  standard  monitor  functions  and  user 
expandable. 

• Three  ROM/EPROM  expansion  sockets  for  up  to 
24K  bytes  total  program  size. 

• IK  bytes  2114  static  RAM,  expandable  to  4K  bytes 
on-board  and  more  off-board. 

• 501/0  lines  expandable  to  70. 

• Single  +5V  power  requirements. 

• Priced  attractively  in  single  unit  quantities;  available 
without  keyboard/display,  with  OEM  discounts  for 
larger  quantities. 

Synertek  Systems 
Corporation. 

150  160  N.  Wolfe  Road,  Sunnyvale,  California  94086 
(408)  988-5690. 


Technico 
General  Radio 
Western  Microtechnology 
Future  Electronics 
Alliance  Electronics 
Arrow  Electronics 

Personal  Computer  Dealers 

Newman  Computer  Exchange 
Ann  Arbor.  Michigan 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  t 


Technico 

Columbia.  Maryland 
Computeriand 
Mayfield  Heights,  Ohio 
RNB  Enterprises 
King  of  Prussia,  Pennsylvania 
Computer  Shop 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts 
Computer  Cash 
Anchorage,  Alaska 


Ancrona 

Culver  City  California 
General  Radio 
Camden.  New  Jersey 
Advanced  Computer  Products 
Santa  Ana.  California 
Computer  Components 
Van  Nuys,  California 
Alltronics 

San  Jose,  California 

INTERFACE  AGE  13 


SYM-1. 

Finally,  a dependable  microcomputer  board. 


THE  W 

COLUMN 

By  Sandra  Evans,  Assistant  Editor 


It  seems  impossible  to  read  an  article  about  the  future 
use  of  computers  without  becoming  caught  up  in  the 
realm  of  possibilities  rather  than  actualities.  There  are 
so  many  possibilities  in  any  one  field  that  our  lives  will 
certainly  be  affected  greatly  by  these  machines  in  the 
coming  years.  Take  a moment  to  consider  the  article  en- 
titled “The  Auto  Industry  Moves  to  Microprocessors”  by 
Robert  S.  Koster  and  Leslie  D.  Ball. 

Koster  and  Ball  discuss  the  microprocessor’s  use  in 
the  automobile  as  a control  function  and  monitoring 
device.  Currently  the  auto  industry  is  experimenting 
with  ignition  and  transmission  systems.  However,  the 
authors  make  an  interesting  move  from  the  actualities 
of  engine  control  into  the  more  thought  provoking  realm 
of  possibility.  Their  discussion  of  alcohol  interlock  sys- 
tems, automatic  radar  brakes  and  brain  wave  monitoring 
devices  causes  one  to  lean  back  a moment  and  think. 

Given  the  technology,  wouldn’t  it  be  possible  for  com- 
puters to  advance  to  such  a state  that  all  mechanical 
processes  could  be  monitored  and  adjusted?  Then 
wouldn’t  it  be  a logical  step  to  computerize  the  auto  to 
deal  with  all  interaction  between  occupants  and  car?  And 
finally,  if  brain  wave  scanning  were  a fact,  couldn’t  the 
car  be  programmed  to  react  to  both  human  physiology 
and  psychology? 

If  it  could,  the  car  might  be  programmed  to  your  own 
particular  needs  and  tastes. 

When  purchasing  a car,  you  would  not  only  be  faced 
with  the  normal  options  of  vinyl  interior,  AM/FM  radio, 
power  steering  or  disk  brakes.  You  would  also  be  con- 
fronted with  options  which  could  control  every  move- 
ment within  the  automobile.  You  could  literally  create 
your  own  personalized  car.  Naturally  the  microproces- 
sor would  monitor  and  maintain  engine  performance. 
But  what  about  luxury? 

Suppose  you’re  the  sporty  type.  Now  you  order  a sports 
car  with  dual  overhead  cams  and  a racing  stripe.  But  you 
may  one  day  be  able  to  order  a car  which  could  actually 
simulate  racing  conditions.  Driving  the  freeway  could  be 
like  driving  the  Indianapolis  Raceway.  Not  only  would  your 
car  be  outfitted  like  a race  driver’s,  it  would  also  simulate 
speed,  vibrate,  provide  you  with  squeals  in  stereo,  and 
turn  corners  as  if  you  were  driving  on  two  wheels. 

Behavior  modification  could  also  fit  in  nicely  with  this 
idea  of  personalized  driving.  If  your  driving  needs  to  be 
improved,  why  not  program  your  auto  to  zap  you  with  an 
electrical  shock  when  you  make  those  quick  left  hand 
turns  or  tailgate  the  car  in  front  of  you?  And  if  you  main- 
tain the  inconsiderate  habit  of  lane  changing  without 
signaling,  you  could  program  the  car  to  turn  on  a gentle 
seat  massage  when  you  do  remember  to  use  your  blinker. 

Whatever  your  image  is,  whatever  your  desires  are, 
the  car  of  the  future  waits  for  you.  The  options  are  yours. 
How  will  you  design  it?D 


alpha 


micro 


See  the  exciting  16-bit  world  of  Alpha 
Micro  at  your  local  Alpha  Micro  dealer. 


NEBRASKA 

OMAHA 
ttylil  Shop  Of 

(«c*)MS.nso 


WASHINGTON 

DCUEVUE 
11,1.'  aisB  >1 
(70S)  744-Ottl 
SPOKANE 


MASSACHUSETTS 

SANIA  BARBARA  **ATHA“ 
By«eShc«o< 

IBOS)  «M  TAM 
SANTA  MONICA 


IMS 

ROVALOAA 
Compute*  Mi* lol 

ooisre-oooo 


UTAH 

SAIT  LAKE  CITY 

Bid  ItapB 

<80t)3SS  1041 


1080)460  4900 
HOLLAND 


(TM)  004  901 


(303)444  OSSO 

DENVER 

BytoSAceol 

ponar 


MONTANA 

BILUNGS 
freSkyByMSAC* 
(404)  TST-TTM 


Tokyo  170 
HbitiMpeHMi  SPAIN 
V*g«r«A  Me  BARCELONA 

(TOO)  3TV9047  Inlolocno* 

VIRGINIA  BEACH  <000|  T3S  7110 
Ha*w  Co*reulo< 


SWEDEN 


<SO4)340-»r/ 


000)770  SOO* 


ZURICH 
C<«i<n)AG 
lOt;  747  7*03 


CARACAS 
EOC  MEGA.  C A 
13  7*  90 


U INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


Can  you  upgrade  to  16-bits 
on  a tight  budget? 


Of  course! 


Let  me  introduce  you  to  the  16-bit 
world  of  Alpha  Micro.  Consider  all  the 
advantages  of  upgrading  your  present 
8-bit  system  with  the  first  fully  integrated 
concept  of  hardware  and  software.  A 
concept  that  provides  all  the  features  of 
a 16-bit  minicomputer,  yet  retains  all  the 
flexibility,  peripheral  options,  and  low 
cost  of  S-100  bus  systems. 

Now  you  can  have  much  of  the  sophis- 
tication that  was  previously  restricted  to 
only  the  mini’s . . . Multi-User.  Multi-Tasking. 
Time-Sharing,  Memory  Management, 
Disk-File  Management,  and  yes,  Periph- 
eral Independence. 

Come  on.  Join  Alpha  Micro's  16-bit 
world . . .You  can  do  it  on  an  8-bit  budget. 
Five  subsystems  let  you  expand  your  8-bit 


system  capability  as  your  needs,  and  your 
budget,  allow; 

AM-100 16-bit  CPU.Two board  S-100 
bus  compatible  microprocessor  set.  com- 
plete with  software  — a year  and  a half 
field  proven  reliability. 

AM-200  Floppy  Disk  Controller. 
S-100  bus  compatible  supports  PerSci 
277  and  Wangco  87  disk  drives. 

AM-300  Six  Port  Serial  I/O.  S-100 
bus  compatible  provides  six  fully  pro 
grammable  RS-232  ports. 

AM-400  Hard  Disk  Subsystem.  S-100 
bus  compatible  interface  and  CALCOMP 
Trident  series  drives  (25. 50, 80. 200  and 
300  megabyte  configurations). 

AM-500  Hard  Disk  Subsystem.  S-100 
bus  compatible  formatter- controller  and 


CDC  Hawk  10  megabyte  hard  disk  drive. 

All  Alpha  Micro  systems  are  fully  soft- 
ware supported  including  the  new  com- 
pletely integrated,  minicomputer  class 
accounting  system  which  consists  of  sev- 
eral hundred  programs. 

For  more  information  see  your  local 
Alpha  Micro  dealer  or  write  or  call. 


alpha 
— k micro 

17881  Sky  Park  North 
Irvine.  California  92714 
(714)957-1404 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  2 


INTERFACE  AGE  15 


HIGH  RELIABILITY 
MEMORY BOARD 
FOR  THE  S-1 00  BUS 


IDEAL  FOR  CROMEMCO 
64K  DISC  SYSTEMS 


Fully  meets  proposed 
IEEE  Standard 


Specially  designed  for  the  new  high  speed 
disc  systems  using  DMA  and  Time  Sharing 


16K  PLUS 


• Bank  Select 

This  feature  allows  running  up  to  51 2K  of  RAM  and  multiple 
users  on  your  system.  It  is  fully  compatible  with  Cromemco 
software,  using  output  port  40H. 

• Parallel  Addressing  Feature 

You  may  choose  to  locate  blocks  of  RAM  at  more  than  one 
address  simultaneously.  This  feature  is  ideal  for  mixing  North 
Star  software,  which  begins  at  2000H,  with  other  software 
beginning  at  0000H.  With  parallel  addressing  you  can  locate 
blocks  of  RAM  in  the  lowest  8K  and  at  some  higher  address  at  the 
same  time. 

• High  Reliability 

Reliability  begins  at  Seattle  Computer  Products  with  proper 
design.  All  inputs  to  the  board  have  Schmitt  triggers  which 
provide  superior  noise  immunity.  Next,  we  select  only  first  quality 
components  for  assembly.  To  catch  infant  mortality,  we  test  all 
boards  following  assembly,  fully  burn  them  in,  and  then  retest  at 
full  operating  speed.  Rigorous  quality  control  is  used  throughout 
the  manufacturing  process. 

• Fully  Static  TMS  4044 

These  Texas  Instruments  4K  by  1 fully  static  memory  chips 
require  no  critical  clocks  or  refresh.  They  allow  a straight-forward, 
clean  design  ensuring  S-1 00  bus  DMA  compatibility. 


250  nsec,  chips  — *445 
450  nsec,  chips  — * 410 

The  16K  PLUS  board  is  offered  fully  assembled  and  tested 


Guaranteed:  USA  customers  — parts  and  labor  guaranteed 
for  one  full  year.  You  may  return  undamaged  board  within  ten 
days  for  a full  refund  (factory  orders  only — dealer  return  policy 
may  vary).  Foreign  and  kit  purchasers  — parts  only 
guaranteed;  no  return  privilege. 

Check  with  your  local  computer  dealer 

If  our  board  is  not  in  his  stock,  he  can  get  one  in  three  to  five 
days. 

Factory  Orders  — You  may  phone  for  VISA,  MC,  COD 
orders.  ($3  handling  charge  for  COD  orders  only)  Purchase 
orders  accepted  from  recognized  institutions.  Personal  checks 
OK  but  must  clear  prior  to  shipment.  Shipped  prepaid  with 
cross-country  orders  sent  by  air.  Shipping  — normally  48-72 
hours.  Washington  residents  add  5.4%  tax.  Spec,  sheet, 
warranty  statement  sent  upon  request. 


Standard  S-1 00  Memory 


Our  standard  16K  RAM  boards  using  the  TMS  4044  have 
been  reduced  in  price.  This  is  the  same  board  sold  worldwide  to 
satisfied  customers  since  January. 


Seattle  Computer  Products,  Inc 

1*^  1114  Industry  Drive,  Seattle,  WA.  98188 

(206)  255-0750 


250  nsec,  chips 
450 nsec,  chips 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  49 


16  INTERFACE  AGE 


Dear  Editor: 

After  rereading  the  four  parts  of 
Roger  Williams'  article  I still  think 
all  I have  read  is  a term  paper  on 
computers  in  business.  Lots  of 
"WHY”  but  very  little  “HOW”. 

Part  four  says  all  anyone  needs  is 
a programmer  who  is  fluent  in  all  the 
program  languages  known  to  man,  a 
systems  analyst  with  a PhD  in  E.S.P. 
along  with  a lifetime  each  in  busi- 
ness and  computer  systems.  Sys- 
tem software  that  can  run  on  any- 
thing from  a TRS-80  to  IBM  370. 
Applications  programs  so  good  they 
don’t  need  a CPU.  Along  with  all  the 
source  code.  NUTS. 

Why  is  it  on  page  16  (August)  Dr. 
Osborne  says  “no  naming  names”  yet 
on  page  42  TDL  and  XITAN  get  it? 

Could  you  have  Dr.  Osborne  put 
an  "X"  by  those  manufacturers,  in 
your  advertiser  index  each  month, 
who  are  unsound? 

Anyone  have  something  to  say? 

Bob  Distler 
(805)  487-7422 
P.O.  Box  6376 
Oxnard,  CA  93031 

Before  Bob  sent  me  this  letter,  he 
called  to  discuss  his  general  philo- 
sophy regarding  the  state  of  the  art 
in  general  and  data  processing  spe- 
cifically. One  of  the  questions  he 
brought  up  on  the  phone  was  why 
everything  is  disk  oriented  and  did 
we  know  of  anyone  who  could  give 
him  a "crash” proof  argument  to  sup- 
port the  use  of  disks  and  disks  only. 
He  also  brought  up  some  other  ideas 
and  gave  us  what  we  feel  to  be  unique 
insights.  Hopefully  sometime  early 
next  year  he  will  be  providing  you 
with  some  of  his  expertise  in  the  com- 
puter field  in  the  form  of  a column 
called  RHD,  which  happens  to  be  his 
initials  and  the  name  of  a tape  handl- 
ing program  that  he  has  written. 

In  the  meantime  Bob  would  very 
much  like  to  hear  from  you  either  by 
phone  or  letter.  And  believe  me  it 
will  be  a worthwhile  experience. 

Dear  Editor: 

A few  notes  from  a satisfied  Cana- 
dian reader: 

1.  Items  move  faster  through  our 
mail  system  if  you  include  the 
Postal  Code.  This  is  that  funny 
series  of  letters  and  numbers 


that  appear  after  the  province. 
My  postal  code  is  V6S  1B2. 
Note  that  the  format  is  letter, 
number,  letter,  space,  number, 
letter  number.  Although  thjs 
may  not  be  quite  as  simple  as 
your  ZIP  code,  it  does  mean 
that  a letter  addressed: 

Andrew  Bates, 

Canada  V6S  1 B2 
will  be  delivered  to  me.  The 
postal  code  pinpoints  the  side 
of  the  street  in  a residential 
block  or  even  the  floor  of  a 
building  in  a business  district. 
How’s  that  for  precise! 
Software  writers  take  note:  We 
Canadians  need  at  least  6 char- 
acters for  the  postal  code  and 
4 characters  for  the  province 
(state).  And  if  you  are  going  to 
check  the  ZIP  for  all  numbers, 
please  put  the  check  in  a sub- 
routine so  we  can  replace  it 
with  a suitable  check  for  our 
postal  code. 

2.  WATTS  lines  do  not  cross  inter- 
national borders  (at  least  that 
is  what  the  telephone  operator 
told  me).  This  means  that  we 
people  in  Canada  can't  phone 
you  for  free  like  everyone  else 
can.  How  about  letting  your 
people  accept  collect  phone 
calls  from  Canada,  only  so  we 
can  use  A.G.  Bell’s  famous  in- 
vention, instead  of  having  to 
spend  hours  slugging  away  at 
the  old  typewriter  and  then 
waiting  for  what  is  an  erratic 
mail  service  on  both  sides  of 
the  border. 

3.  Another  small  request  for  soft- 
ware writers  who  are  mailing 
things  to  Canada:  If  your  pack- 
age costs  $75.00  and  is  distri- 
buted on  North  Star  diskette, 
for  instance,  please  mark  the 
customs  declaration  as: 

DISKETTE  $6.00 

PRINTED  MATTER  $69.00 

If  you  mark  the  price  as  $75.00 
we  end  up  paying  duty  on  the 
diskette  as  though  it  cost 
$75.00.  Printed  matter  comes 
across  the  border  duty  free  and 
there  is  no  duty  on  an  item  of 
less  than  $10.00  value. 


Thanks  for  listening. 

Andrew  Bates 
Vancouver,  B.C.,  Canada 

Andrew,  your  points  are  well  taken 
and  we  would  imagine  that  a number 
of  manufacturers  are  listening  to 
what  you  are  saying.  Yes,  the  mail  is 
bad  and  phone  rates  high,  but  to  get 
the  business  a WATTS  line  would  be 
an  excellent  idea. 

Dear  Editor: 

Thank  you  for  Floppy  ROM™  No. 
4 and  IAPS™. 

After  keying  program  4 with  some 
corrections  my  system  was  able  to 
decode  the  Floppy  ROM.  Then  the 
program  source  file  was  read  as  in- 
put to  BASIC.  I am  very  pleased  to 
say  that  it  worked  flawlessly. 

My  personal  use  Altair  8800b  does 
not  have  a disk  system  yet  so  I was 
not  able  to  use  the  programs.  Hope- 
fully future  Floppy  ROMs  may  have 
non-disk  applications. 

Equipment  used: 

Altair 8800b  with24Kof  memory 
MITS  BASIC  version  4.1 
MITS  2SIO  serial  I/O 
Panasonic  stereo  system 
(receiver  with  turntable) 

Sony  TC  205  portable  cassette 

A few  checksum  errors  occurred 
until  I advanced  the  volume  control 
just  slightly.  No  other  problems. 

John  B.  Palmer 
Boonville,  CA 

John,  we  thank  you  for  the  kind 
words,  and  your  letter  is  representa- 
tive of  a little  over  400  we  have  re- 
ceived to  date  on  Floppy  ROM  44 
and  IAPS.  Most  of  the  users  appear 
to  like  the  IAPS  idea  and  have  pro- 
vided us  with  a great  deal  of  input  on 
how  to  improve  it. 

If  you  were  lucky  enough  to  be  at 
PCC  '78  in  Philadelphia  this  year, 
you  probably  heard  Bill  Turner,  the 
inventor  of  IAPS  define  the  com- 
plete standard  in  his  talk.  If  not,  we 
are  going  to  publish  the  talk  and 
guidebook  to  IAPS  in  the  November 
issue.  Beginning  with  the  January 
1979  issue  all  Floppy  ROMs  will  be 
in  the  IAPS  format,  plus  we  will 
begin  asking  for  software  articles  to 
be  accompanied  by  a cassette  tape 
at  300  baud  and  in  the  IAPS  format. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  17 


Dear  Editor: 

Reference  the  article  by  Dr.  Jerald 
L.  Ripley,  ‘‘DEBBI  — A User  Report” 
in  the  June  1978  issue,  I too  have  used 
DEBBI  for  several  months  and  would 
like  to  question  one  of  Dr.  Ripley's 
problems  and  point  out  others. 

There  are  six  versions  of  DEBBI, 
each  designed  to  run  on  one  of  the 
following  microcomputer  systems: 
Intel  MDS,  SBC  80/10  or  8/20,  MITS / 
Altair,  IMSAI,  PolyMorphic  or  Sol.  I 
use  the  IMSAI  (-58)  version  in  a Vec- 
tor One  with  iCOM  3712  dual  disk 
drives,  but  since  Dr.  Ripley  did  not 
state  which  version  he  used,  some 
of  the  following  comments  may  not 
be  valid  for  his  version. 

The  solution  to  the  first  problem 
mentioned,  slow  loading  from  disk 
due  to  a listing  on  the  console  is  to 
enter  Control/0  following  the 
DLOAD  command.  This  suppresses 
all  output  until  another  Control/0  is 
entered  and  is  documented  on  page 
5-29  of  the  DEBBI  manual. 

DEBBI  Is  definitely  a version  of 
MITS/ALTAIR/Micro  Soft  BASIC,  as 
Pertec  now  owns  both  MITS  and 
iCOM.  This  brings  us  to  what  I con- 
sider DEBBI’s  greatest  shortcoming, 
its  lack  of  random  files  and  ability  to 
have  open  only  one  input  and  one 
output  file  at  any  one  time.  Accord- 
ing to  one  of  iCOM's  software  peo- 
ple, this  lack  of  disk  I/O  flexibility 
was  left  out  of  DEBBI  so  it  would  not 
compete  directly  with  MITS  BASIC 
in  the  business  applications  market. 

In  summary,  DEBBI  is  an  excellent 
extended  BASIC,  with  lots  of  whistles 
and  bells,  but  seems  to  fall  short  of 
a usable  disk  BASIC.  In  addition, 
iCOM's  documentation  of  both  DEBBI 
and  FDOS-III  has  several  minor  errors 
and  is  not  as  complete  as  one  would 
wish;  however,  a letter  or  phone  call 
to  them  should  get  you  corrections 
for  all  the  known  mistakes. 

I hope  that  this  information  is  of 
interest  to  some  of  your  readers  and 
that  Dr.  Ripley  does  not  take  offense 
at  any  of  my  comments  regarding 
his  article. 

R.E.  Wilson 
Dallas,  TX 

DEBBI  is  a reasonable  extended 
BASIC,  but  as  we  were  working  on 
Dr.  Ripley's  article  we  found  it 
necessary  to  call  Pertec  and  ask 
for  their  thoughts.  They  also  felt  it 
was  a reasonable  BASIC  but  fell 


short  of  their  expectations  as  a disk 
BASIC.  It  appears  that  the  general 
feeling  among  other  readers  is  that 
there  is  much  better  available  so 
why  even  consider  DEBBI  at  this 
stage  of  the  game. 

Dear  Editor: 

Can  anyone  tell  me  how  two  or 
more  persons  all  using  their  own 
TRS-80  can  play  games  over  the 
phone  lines  so  each  person’s  video 
shows  the  same  thing  and  reacts 
identically?  Please  specify  how  to 
make  or  where  to  buy  any  additional 
hardware  that  may  be  required. 

Also,  it’s  really  frustrating  to  want 
to  use  a LI  program  and  can’t  be- 
cause you  have  Lll.  In  most  cases,  I 
don’t  know  how  to  re-do  my  LI  tapes 
so  they'll  run  on  Lll.  I've  got  16K  Lll 
and  most  of  my  LI  tapes  still  come 
back  with  “program  too  long"  after 
using  the  conversion  tape  on  them. 

Can  anyone  tell  me  how  to  easily 
change  my  Lll  back  to  LI  and  vice 
versa  or  know  of  anyone  who  has  de- 
veloped an  inexpensive  device  to  do 
this  without  having  to  bother  with  LI 
to  Lll  tape  conversions? 

Sharon  Jackson 
P.O.  Box  621 
Fenton,  MO  63026 

Sharon,  that's  a thought  provok- 
ing idea.  Somebody  has  probably 
figured  out  how  to  set  up  a com- 
munications net  for  the  TRS-80,  only 
we  haven't  heard  about  it  yet.  If  any 
TRS-80  user  group  has  worked  on 
this  let  Sharon  know  and  us  too. 


Dear  Editor: 

As  soon  as  I get  your  magazine,  I 
read  Adam  Osborne’s  From  the 
Fountainhead  because  his  candor  is 
much  needed  in  the  hobbyist  com- 
puter market. 

But  not  his  June  1978  column.  He 
omitted  Step  Zero  which  is  crucial 
and  absolutely  essential.  Step  Zero 
is  the  question:  Do  you  want  a com- 
puter for  games  or  for  business?  If 
anyone  wants  a computer  for  busi- 
ness, then  he  wants  to  buy  a Wang, 
a Hewlett  Packard,  an  IBM,  etc. 

There  is  no  business  computer  in 
the  hobbyist  market. 

There  is  no  business  computer  in 
the  personal  market  in  spite  of  all  of 
the  bally-hoo  about  the  business  ap- 
plications and  professional  uses. 


56  GREAT  LOCATIONS 


ComputerLand 

unw nPFu  1 


NOW  OPEN: 

ALABAMA 

Huntsville 

12051  539-1200 

CALIFORNIA 

Dublin 

14151828-8090 

El  Cerrito 

1415)  233-5010 

Heyward 

(415)  538-8080 

Los  Altos 

(4151941-8154 

Los  Anfleles 

(213)  776-8080 

Mission  Viejo 

(714)  770-0131 

Sen  Bernardino 

(7141  886-6838 

Sen  Diego 

(7141  560-9912 

Sen  Francisco 

(415)  546-1592 

Sen  Jose 

(408)  253-8080 

Sen  Mateo 

(415)5728080 

Santa  Rosa 

(707)  528-1775 

Thousand  Oaks 

(805)  495-3554 

Lawndale 

(213)  371-7144 

Tustin 

(714)  544-0542 

Walnut  Creek 

(415)  9358502 

COLORADO 

Colorado  Springs 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

Denver 

(303)  7594685 

CONNECTICUT 

Fairfield 

(203)  374-2227 

DELAWARE 

Newark 

(302)  738-9656 

FLORIDA 

Boca  Raton 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

Ft.  Lauderdale 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta 

(404)963-0406 

HAWAII 

Honolulu 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

ILLINOIS 

Arlington  Heights 

(312)  2558488 

Downers  Grove 

(312)  5608193 

Niles 

(312)967-1714 

Oak  Lawn 

1312)  4228080 

Peoria 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

INDIANA 

Ft.  Wayne 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

KENTUCKY 

Louisville 

(502)  4258308 

MARYLAND 

Rockville 

(301)948-7676 

MICHIGAN 

Grand  Rapids 

(6161  942-2931 

Detroit 

(313)356-8111 

MINNESOTA 

Bloomington 

(6121  884-1474 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

Nashua 

1603)  889-5238 

NEW  JERSEY 

Cherry  Hill 

(609)  795-5900 

Bergen  County 

(2011  846-9303 

Morristown 

(201)  5394077 

NEW  YORK 

Buffalo 

(716)836-6511 

Ithaca 

(607)  2774888 

NO.  CAROLINA 

Charlotte 

(704)  5368500 

OHIO 

Cleveland 

(218)461-1200 

OREGON 

Portland 

(603)  6208170 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Harrisburg 

(717)  736-1116 

TEXAS 

Austin 

(5121452-5701 

Dallas 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

Houston 

(713)  9778909 

WASHINGTON 

Bellevue 

(206)  746-2070 

Federal  Way 

1206)  838  9363 

Tacoma 

(206)  5818388 

WASHINGTON.  D.C. 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

WISCONSIN 

Madison 

16081  273-2020 

INTERNATIONAL 

Sydney,  NSW  Australia  29-3753 

Winnipeg.  Canada 

Call  Directory  Assistance 

18  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


BEFBBE  YOU  BUY  COMPITa  l,  UJSITl 


COMPUTERS 
FOR  THE  HOME 


You'll  find  educational  materials  to  give 
you  a total  insight  into  the  world  of 
microcomputers. 

You  II  find  a fully  equipped  service 
deportment  to  provide  whatever  assistance 
is  required  to  keep  your  computer  running 
in  top-notch  condition.  You  II  find  computer 
user's  clubs  to  join,  where  you  can  share 
ideas  with  people  as  enthusiastic  os 
yourself.  And,  with  each  new  visit,  you'll 
find  excitement— from  the  people  you  deal 
with,  the  equipment  they  offer,  and  from 
your  own  ever-growing  personal 
involvement. 


And  now  we  come  to  you,  which  leads 
us  right  back  to  where  we  started:  If  you 
want  a computer,  then  we  want  to  be 
your  computer  store. 

Whether  you  want  a computer  for  the 
home,  business  or  industry,  come  to 
ComputerLand  first.  We  ll  make  it  easy  for 
you  to  own  your  first  computer.  Because, 
simply  put,  we  really  want  your  business. 
When  you  come  right  down  to  it,  that's 
what  makes  us  #1. 


If  the  truth  Is  that  you  want  o 
computer  . . . then  we  want  to  be  your 
computer  store. 

We  re  ComputerLand,  the  #V 
computer  store  chain  in  the  U.S.  What's 
meaningful  about  that  fact  is,  that 
ComputerLand  has  been  chosen  by  more 
people  as  having  what  they've  been 
looking  for.  And,  since  you're  looking,  let 
us  tell  you  what  you'll  find,  when  you  visit 
a ComputerLand  store. 

You'll  find  a product  line  that's 
continually  evaluated  to  provide  you  with 
the  widest  and  best  selection  in  quality, 
brand  name  microcomputers  anywhere. 
You'll  find  an  enthusiastic  and 
knowledgeable  staff  able  to  interpret  all 
the  equipment  specifications,  in  terms  of 
how  they  apply  to  you,  and  in  a way 
you'll  understand.  You'll  find  demonstration 
areas  where  you  con  get  a firsthand 
experience  of  running  a computer  yourself. 

COMPUTERS 
FOR  RUSINESS 


Enough  about  us.  How  about  what 
computers  do.  To  attempt  to  describe  all 
the  things  your  computer  might  do,  would 
be  to  describe  your  imagination.  So 
instead,  we  ll  briefly  list  some  of  the  many 
things  for  which  small  computers  are 
already  being  used. 

In  business,  the  advent  of  the 
versatile  and  compact  microcomputer  has 
put  the  benefits  of  computing  within  reach 
of  small  companies.  With  systems  starting 
at  less  than  $6000,  the  businessman  con 


computerize  things  like  accounting, 
inventory  control,  record  keeping,  word 
processing  and  more.  The  net  result  is  the 
reduction  of  administrative  overhead  and 
the  improvement  of  efficiency  which  allows 
the  business  to  be  managed  more 
effectively. 

In  the  home,  a computer  can  be  used 
for  personal  budgeting,  tracking  the  stock 
market,  evaluating  investment  opportunities, 
controlling  heating  to  conserve  energy, 
running  security  alarm  systems,  automating 
the  garden's  watering,  storing  recipes, 
designing  challenging  gomes,  tutoring  the 
children  . . . and  the  list  goes  on. 

In  industry,  the  basic  applications  are 
in  engineering  development,  process 
control,  and  scientific  and  analytical  work. 
Users  of  microcomputers  in  industry 
hove  found  them  to  be  reliable,  cost- 
effective  tools  which  provide  computing 
capability  to  many  who  would  otherwise 
have  to  wait  for  time  on  a big  computer, 
or  work  with  no  computer  at  all. 

COMPUTERS 
FOR  IHDUSTRY 


WE  KNOW  SMALL  COMPUTERS 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  9 14400  Catalina  St.,  San  Leandro,  CA  94577  (415)  895-9363  • Franchise  Opportunities  Available 


Shugart  invented  the  minifloppy  in  1976. 

Today  there  are  more  than  100.000  of  the  little  drives 
in  use.  That's  because  users  want  the  affordable 
random  access  data  storage  of  the  minifloppy. 

Shugart  packs  years  of  proven  floppy 
drive  technology  into  this  tiny  package.  Up  to  110 
kbytes  of  data  storage.  Fast  random  access  of 
about  one-half  second.  And  high  speed  data  trans- 
fer of  125  kbits  per  second.  Plus  sensible, 
maintenance-free  features  like  write  protect  to 
prevent  accidental  data  loss,  an  activity  light  to 
indicate  when  the  drive  is  selected  by  your 
computer  and  a door  interlock  to  protect  your 
media  from  damage. 

Our  proprietary  read /write  head  provides 
maximum  data  interchange  margins,  and  it  is 


positioned  precisely  on  the  selected  track  by  a 
patented  spiral  cam  actuator.  The  DC  drive  motor 
with  integral  tachometer  assures  accurate  diskette 
rotation  and  low  heat  dissipation.  A die  cast 
aluminum  base  plate  provides  a solid  foundation 
for  the  drive. 

At  Shugart,  technology  leadership  is  more 
than  a slogan,  it's  a commitment.  Get  reliability 
and  value  when  you  invest  your  money  for  floppy 
disk  storage.  Ask  for  the  standard  of  the  industry, 
minifloppy.  If  it  isn't  Shugart,  it  isn't  minifloppy. 


Shugart  Associates 


435  Oakmead  Parkway,  Sunnyvale,  California  94086 


See  opposite  page  for  list  of  manufacturers  featuring  Shugart’s  minifloppy  in  their  systems. 
TM  minifloppy  Is  registered  trademark  ol  Shugart  Associates 


The  kit  computers,  the  hobby 
computers,  the  personal  computers, 
are  strictly  tinker  toys.  They  are  al- 
right for  playing  Star  Trek,  black- 
jack, etc.,  but  no  one  should  attempt 
to  use  them  for  anything  serious. 

We  have  100  manufacturers  for  the 
S-100  bus.  None  talk  to  the  others.  It 
is  positively  amazing  how  little  of 
this  gross  incompatibility  of  parts  is 
ever  mentioned  in  the  computer 
magazines. 

Documentation  is  either  non- 
existent or  stinks. 

Service  is  a joke.  Where  do  you 
get  boards  serviced? 

My  North  Star  disks  went  down 
for  five  weeks  last  summer,  and 
again  for  six  weeks  this  summer. 
There  is  no  local  repair  shop.  North 
Star  repaired  them,  but  then  left  the 
repaired  units  on  their  shelf  for  eight 
days  after  fixing  them,  and  then 
shipped  them  surface  UPS,  instead 
of  Blue  Label  Air  UPS!  Is  that  any 
way  to  run  a business? 

How  do  you  tell  employees  that 
they  must  wait  for  six  weeks  for 
their  paychecks  because  the  payroll 
program  won’t  work  on  a DOWN 
computer? 

I put  $10,000  and  two  years  of 
work  into  my  computer  — my  per- 
sonal, hobbyist  computer.  So  far,  I 
have  had  about  one  good  month  of 
use  out  of  it.  To  base  a business  on 
this  computer,  one  would  have  to 
desire  commercial  suicide  with  pas- 
sion. 

A true  commercial  computer 
(Wang,  Hewlett  Packard,  IBM)  costs 
no  more  than  hobbyist  junk;  it  runs 
as  soon  as  you  get  it;  the  documen- 
tation is  excellent;  it  can  be  serviced 
in  a day;  and  it  has  business  pro- 
grams ready  to  run. 

Edward  L.  Tottle 
Baltimore,  MD 

The  only  thing  that  you  can  say 
when  the  computer  goes  down  on 
payday  is:  "great  expectations,  can 
you  have  them?"  Probably  not. 

Dear  Editor: 

The  Spain  Rehabilitation  Center 
at  the  University  of  Alabama  Medical 
Center  has  a project  underway  to 
demonstrate  both  the  utility  and 
economic  feasibility  of  the  new  gen- 
eration of  ‘personal’  computers  for 
use  by  the  severely  disabled.  The 

OCTOBER  1978 


programmability  of  the  computer 
will  allow  it  to  serve  as  a general  pur- 
pose appliance  to  be  used  as  an  aid 
to  communication  and  education  as 
well  as  for  environmental  control 
and  entertainment. 

This  system,  as  currently  envis- 
ioned, will  consist  of  a microcompu- 
ter, an  on-line  storage  device  for  pro- 
grams and  data,  two  T.V.  monitors 
for  user  feedback  and  information 
display,  a printing  device  for  typed 
output,  a speech  recognition  device 
for  vocal  input  of  commands,  data, 
and  text,  a powerline  controller  for 
environmental  control,  and  a tele- 
phone dialing/answering  device.  We 
are  attempting  to  select  compo- 
nents which  are  widely  distributed 
and  serviced  as  well  as  being  plug 
compatible  and  economically  priced. 

Programs  will  be  written  or  pur- 
chased to  perform  specific  func- 
tions in  each  of  the  four  general 
areas  mentioned  above.  However, 
we  would  be  very  interested  in  re- 
ceiving ideas  from  your  readers,  par- 
ticularly those  who  are  disabled, 
those  who  have  disabled  friends  or 
relatives,  and  those  who  have  per- 
sonal computers  and  would  like  to 
develop  hardware  or  software  for  the 
system  on  their  own,  regarding  spe- 
cific functions  which  they  would 
like  to  see  developed  and  which 
could  be  accommodated  by  the  pro- 
posed microcomputer  system. 

We  are  sending  this  letter  to  sev- 
eral publications  and  organizations 
in  order  to  reach  as  many  people  as 
possible  and  are  locking  forward  to 
receiving  input  from  anyone  who 
may  be  interested  in  this  project. 
Charles  Healey,  Research  Associate 
Spain  Rehabilitation  Center 
U.A.B.  University  Station 
Birmingham,  AL  35294 
(205)  934-3320 

This  sounds  like  a very  worth- 
while and  exciting  venture.  So  since 
you  included  us  in  one  of  the 
"many”  publications,  let’s  see  if 
some  of  our  readers  will  supply  the 
necessary  input. 

Dear  Editor: 

Help!  I am  a home  brew  computer 
hobbyist  who  needs  an  operating 
system.  So  I am  writing  to  you  in  the 
hope  that  you  or  one  of  INTERFACE 


Look  for 
Sliugart  drives 

in  personal 
ompaater  systems 
made  by  these 
companies. 


Altos  Computer  Systems 

2378-B  Walsh  Avenue 
Santa  Clara.  CA  95050 


Apple  Computer 

10260  Bandley  Dr. 
Cupertino.  CA  95014 


Digital  Microsystems  Inc. 

(Formerly  Digital  Systems) 
4448  Piedmont  Ave. 
Oakland.  CA  94611 


Imsai  Mtg.  Corporation 

14860  Wicks  Blvd. 

San  Leandro.  CA  94577 

Industrial  Micro  Systems 

633  West  Katella.  Suite  L 
Orange.  CA  92667 

North  Star  Computer 

2547  9th  Street 
Berkeley.  CA  94710 

Percom  Data 

318  Barnes 
Garland.  TX  75042 

Polymorphic  Systems 

460  Warg  Dr 

Santa  Barbara.  CA  93111 

Problem  Solver  Systems 

20834  Lassen  Street 
Chatsworth.  CA  91311 

Processor  Applications  Limited 

2801  E.  Valley  View  Avenue 
West  Covina.  CA  91792 

SD  Sales 

3401  W.  Kingsley 
Garland.  TX  75040 

Smoke  Signal  Broadcasting 

6304  Yucca 
Hollywood.  CA  90028 

Technico  Inc. 

9130  Red  Branch  Road 
Columbia.  MD  21045 

Texas  Electronic  Instruments 

5636  Etheridge 
Houston,  TX  77087 

Thinker  Toys 

1201  10th  Street 
Berkeley.  CA  94710 

Vista  Computer  Company 

2807  Oregon  Court 
Torrence.  CA  90503 


Shugart  Associates 

INTERFACE  AGE  21 


MO€(^©MATD©M 


AGE'S  many  readers  will  please 
come  to  my  rescue. 

I have  a home  brew  ‘8080’  based 
computer  system  with  a Sykes  digi- 
tal magnetic  tape  unit  that  I have  in- 
terfaced to  look  like  a floppy  disk. 
But  I cannot  find  an  operating  sys- 
tem to  use  with  it. 

Is  there  any  place  a home  brew 
computer  hobbyist  can  get  a source 
listing  and  maybe  a paper  tape  copy 
of  a disk-type  operating  system  to 
use  on  a non-standard  hobbyist 
computer  system  using  disk  and/or 
digital  magnetic  tape? 

Glenn  Moss 
450  N.  Mathilda,  Apt.  Q306 
Sunnyvale,  CA  94086 

Yes,  Glenn,  there  is.  Many  of  the 
magazines,  including  us  have  pub- 
lished complete  operating  systems 
that  can  be  customized  to  meet  a 
specific  need.  We  suggest  that  you 
contact  Jim  Schreier,  the  man  that 
puts  out  the  SSI  Microcomputer 
Software  guide,  at  SSI,  4327  Grove 
Street,  Phoenix,  AZ  85040,  and  order 
his  book  for  $7.95.  It  is  the  most 
comprehensive  book  on  available 
software  on  the  market  today.  If  that 
doesn't  work  we  have  published 
your  full  address  so  other  readers 
can  possibly  help  you  out. 


Dear  Editor: 

I read  with  interest  the  query  of 
Brother  Meyerpeter  and  your  reply 
concerning  the  educational  uses  of 
microcomputers. 

I would  highly  recommend  that 
you  contact  Dr.  John  Hirschbuhl  at 
the  University  of  Akron,  Akron,  Ohio. 

He  is  by  far  the  leading  authority 
in  Computer  Aided  Education  in  the 
United  States  and  most  probably, 
the  world. 

For  your  future  issue  on  this  sub- 
ject, John  would  prove  to  be  your 
best  source  for  lead  articles  and  the 
review  of  other  material.  His  exper- 
tise ranges  the  entire  spectrum  from 
psychology  of  learning  and  teaching 
techniques  to  hardware  and  software. 

John  Hodges,  President 
Kent-Moore  Instrument  Co. 

Pioneer,  OH 

We  suggest  all  interested  parties 
should  also  contact  him. 


Dear  Editor: 

Re:  HELP! 

Being  a computer  enthusiast  like 
many  others,  I am  very  anxious  in 
setting  up  a computer  hobbyist/com- 
puter user’s  club  with  the  help  of  a 
few  of  my  friends.  However,  the  situ- 
ation here  is  not  as  favorable  as  might 
be  expected;  firstly,  most  of  us  lack 
the  necessary  technical  backing,  and 
secondly,  there  is  a severe  shortage 
of  technically  qualified  personnel 
who  are  able  or  free  to  help. 

Hence  I would  be  most  obliged  if 
any  of  your  readers,  who  are  com- 
mittee members  of  any  clubs/socie- 
ties, or  anybody  who  might  like  to 
help,  can  provide  me  with  informa- 
tion on  how  their  club/societies 
were  started,  how  are  their  meetings 
carried  out/what  they  do  during  their 
meetings,  the  problems  they  faced, 
as  well  as  any  other  tips  and  infor- 
mation that  might  be  helpful  in  the 
course  of  setting  up  a club  locally, 
which  may  be  the  first  in  Singapore. 

In  anticipation  of  any  form  of  help 
anyone  might  provide,  I would  like  to 
thank  him/her  in  advance. 

Steven  Goh 
3,  Bristol  Road, 
Singapore  8,  Singapore 

Steve,  let's  see  if  you  get  any 
answers. 

Dear  Editor: 

In  the  last  issue  we  received  (April 
1978)  you  mentioned  the  beginning 
of  the  microcomputer  in  Europe.  We 
would  appreciate  if  you  could  let 
readers  from  your  magazine  know 
that  we  handle  some  of  the  U.S.  pro- 
ducts. We  are  handling  Europe  for 
Meca  Alpha-1,  also  TDL  for  Holland, 
Selecterm  and  Central  Data  too. 

Due  to  the  fact  that  we  buy  cen- 
trally, we  can  give  our  customers  the 
same  price  as  they  would  have  to 
pay  in  the  U.S.,  but  of  course  we 
have  to  add  import  duties,  etc.  This 
relieves  the  customers  of  all  these 
problems. 

We  are  trying  to  get  more  soft- 
ware here  and  we  are  willing  to  co- 
operate with  readers  in  the  U.S.  to 
swap  information. 

J.  Boers 

Medel  B.V.,  P.O.  Box  135 
9300  AC  Roden,  Nederland 
Tel:  05908- 18941 

Consider  it  done. 


The 

DOUBLER 

IS  AVAILADLE  from  these  dealers  . . . 

CALIFORNIA 


DyteShop Derkeley4l5  845-6066 

Byte  Shop Son  Diego  714  565-8008 

Byte  Shop Son  Rafael  4 1 5 457-9311 

Byte  Shop Tustln  714  731-1686 


Coast  Computer  Center 

Costo  Mesa  7 1 4 646-0507 
Computer  Components 

Von  Nuys  21 0 786-7411 

ComputerLand  EiCemto4i5 200-5010 
The  Computer  Store 

Santa  Monica  210  451  -07 1 0 

COLORADO 

Byte  Shop Boulder  000  444-6550 

Byte  Shop Denver 000 099-8995 

Byte  Shop....  Englewood 000 761-6202 

FLORIDA 

Byte  Shop  Ft.  Louderdole  005  561  -2980 
Byte  Shop Miami  005  264-2980 

GEORGIA 

Byte  Shop Atlanta  404  255-8984 

ILLINOIS 

ComputerLand Niies0i2  967-i7i4 

KENTUCKY 

Data  Domain  . . . Lexington  606  269-6902 

NEBRASKA 

The  Computer  Store 

Omoho  402  592-0590 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

Computer  Mart . . Nashua  600  880-2086 

NEW  YORK 

Computer  Mart 

New  York  City  212  686-7920 
Computer  Microsystems 

Monhasset  5k  6 62  7 -2640 
Mini  Micro  Mart  Syracuse  015  422-4467 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

DyteShop Rolelgh  919  800-0210 

SOUTH  CAROLINA 

Computer  People 

Greenville  800  244-8069 

TENNESSE 

Computer  Denn 

Ook  Ridge  615  482-1091 

TEXAS 

Computer  Corner  Amarillo  806  055-5618 
Neighborhood  Computer  Store 

Lubbock  806  797 • 1 468 

...  OR  CONTACT  YOUR  FAVORITE 
COMPUTER  STORE. 


MOCIMMATON 


524  Union  Street 
Son  Francisco,  CA  94103 
415  098-0289 


22  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


Micromat  ion  hos  done  for  the  S-100 
bus  whot  IDM  did  for  the  floppy  disk. 


Reliably  doubled  capacity. 


Double  Capacity 

The  DOUBLER  — Micromation’s  latest  advance  in  floppy  disk 
technology  — doubles  the  copacity  of  floppy  disk  systems. 
Over  500  KBytes  ore  recorded  on  each  side  of  on  8"  disk. 
This  means  bigger  files  for  more  powerful  systems. 

Double  Speed 

Data  transfer  with  the  DOUBLER  is  twice  os  fast  — 500  Kbits 
per  second.  And  since  there  is  twice  os  much  doto  on  each 
track,  your  drive  steps  only  half  os  much  — so  your  system 
runs  foster  than  it  ever  hos  before! 

Increased  Reliability 

That's  right  — even  better  reliability.  Why?  Because  we  did 
it  the  IBM  way.  IBM  designed  2D  formatting  — so  it  hos  to 
be  reliable.  Micromotion's  innovative,  state-of-the-art  de- 
sign incorporates  write  precompensation  electronics  ond  o 
phase  lock  oscillator  on  o single,  oil  digital,  5-100  circuit 
board.  So  we  guarantee  the  DOUBLER  will  be  more  de- 
pendable than  your  present  single  density  controller  — ond 
we  worontee  the  DOUBLER  for  o full  year. 

Unbeatable  Convenience 

It  couldn't  be  easier  to  step  up  to  double  density.  The 
DOUBLER  operates  automatically  in  either  single  or  double 
density.  Just  insert  o diskette  and  you're  running  properly.  You 
con  transfer  files  between  single  or  double  density  diskettes 
without  any  software  or  hardware  changes  — or  even  oper- 
ate with  one  single  ond  one  double  density  diskette. 
Installation  is  o snap.  There’s  o hardware  UART  on  board 


ond  the  software  is  oil  ready  to  go.  An  onboard  2708  EPROM 
contains  the  bootstrap.  There's  even  jump-on-reset  circuitry 
so  you  con  operate  without  o front  panel.  And,  of  course, 
we  include  utilities  to  format  diskettes. 

Universally  Versatile 

The  DOUBLER  will  operate  with  oil  industry-standard  mini 
ond  full-sized  drives.  And  it  will  work  in  any  8080  or  Z-80 
S-1 00  computer  operating  ot  2 to  4 MHz.  The  DOUBLER  will 
support  up  to  four  double  or  single  headed  drives. 

Fully  Compatible 

The  DOUBLER  is  compatible  with  CP/M*  version  1 .4.  If  you 
hove  o CP/M*  1 .4  system,  just  odd  our  CBIOS  — or  you  con 
buy  our  reody-to-boot  version,  instoll  the  new  controller, 
connect  ony  terminal  to  the  RS-232  interface,  ond  boot  off 
your  new  double-sized,  double-speed  system.  You  still  con 
use  all  your  old  software  without  ony  changes. 

Completely  Affordable 

All  Micromotion  products  ore  fully  assembled,  thoroughly 
tested,  include  complete  documentation,  ond  ore  priced 


for  value: 

DOUBLER  double  density  controller  $ 495. 

MEGABOX  dual  drive  double  density  system  2,295. 

ZEPHER  — Per  Sci  double  density  system  2,595. 

Z-PLUS  — MEGABOX  32  KZ-80  computer  4,295. 


Available 

The  DOUBLER  is  ovoiloble  NOW  ot  your  local  computer  store. 


Micromotion  Inc.  524  Union  Street  Son  Francisco  Californio  94133/  415  398-0289 


Where  there's  always  more  in  store.  *cp/Mi»ot(odemo*o<Digiioi  Research 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  31 


We’ve  gathered  the  family  to  show  you  why 

PERCOM’s™  Number  1 

in  cassette  data  systems  for  microcomputers. 

Pardon  us  for  doing  a little  boasting,  but  we’re  proud  of  our 
family.  Proud  of  each  member’s  reputation  for  performance  and 
reliability.  And  pleased  that  we  can  offer  the  best  in  cassette 
data  systems  and  data  terminal  interfacing  at  low,  home-com- 
puting prices. 


It  took  more  than  guts  and  a little  luck  to 
forge  a position  of  leadership.  We're 
number  1 because  you  get  more  when 
you  buy  PERCOM™.  The  reason,  simply, 
is  experience.  Every  product  described 
in  this  ad  is  based  on  nearly  10  years  of 
crucial  involvement  in  the  design  and 
manufacture  of  computer  peripherals 
that  use  cassettes  for  mass  storage. 


Experience.  It’s  why  we  developed  a 
more  reliable  data  cassette  for  home 
computing.  Why  our  interfacing  units 
provide  both  cassette  and  data  terminal 
interfacing.  Why  you  get  the  fastest, 
most  reliable  cassette  data  rates  from 
PERCOM™.  Experience.  It’s  the  reason 
for  PERCOM™. 


INI  II  % 
W him 

it  i ii in. 


For  your  data  storage  — Pilon-30™ 
data  cassettes 


• Interface  to  data  terminal  and  two  cas- 
sette recorders  with  a unit  only  1/10 
the  sizeofSWTP's  AC-30. 

• Select  30.  60,  or  120  bytes  per  second 
cassette  interfacing,  300,  600  or  1200 
baud  data  terminal  interfacing. 

• Optional  mod  kits  make  CIS-30  + work 
with  any  microcomputer.  (For  MITS 
680b,  ask  for  Tech  Memo  TM-CIS- 
30+ — 09.) 

• KC-Standard/Bi-Phase-M  (double  fre- 
quency) cassette  data  encoding.  De- 
pendable self-clocking  operation. 

• Ordinary  functions  may  be  accom- 
plished with  6800  Mikbug™  monitor. 

• Prices:  Kit,  $79.95;  Assembled, 
$99.95. 

Prices  include  a comprehensive  instruction 
manual.  Also  available:  Test  Cassette,  Re- 
mote Control  Kit  (for  program  control  of 
recorders).  1C  Socket  Kit,  MITS  680b  mod 
documentation,  Universal  Adaptor  Kit 
(converts  CIS-30+  lor  use  with  any  com- 
puter).  MIKBUG®  Motorola,  Inc. 


For  your  S-100  computer — the  CI-812 

• Both  cassette  and  data  terminal  inter- 
facing on  one  S-100  bus  PC  board. 

• Interfaces  two  recorders.  Record  and 
playback  circuits  are  independent. 

• Select  30,  60,  120,  or  240  bytes  per 
second  cassette  interfacing,  110  to 
9600  baud  data  terminal  interfacing. 

• KC-Standard/Bi-Phase-M  (double  fre- 
quency) encoded  cassette  data.  De- 
pendable self-clocking  operation. 

• Optional  firmware  (2708  EPROM) 
Operating  System  available. 

• Prices:  kit,  $99.95;  assembled, 
$129.95. 

Prices  include  a comprehensive  instruction 

manual.  In  addition  to  the  EPROM  Operating 

System,  a Test  Cassette,  Remote  Control  Kit 

(for  program  control  of  recorders),  and  an  1C 

Socket  Kit  are  also  available. 


• Orders-of-magnitude  improvement  in 
data  integrity  over  ordinary  audio  cas- 
settes. 

• Pilon-coated  pressure  pad  eliminates 
lint-producing  felt  pad  of  standard 
audio  cassettes. 

• Smooth  pilon  coating  minimizes  erra- 
tic tape  motion. 

• Foam  pad  spring  is  energy  absorbing. 
Superior  to  leaf  spring  mounted  pad 
which  tends  to  oscillate  and  cause  flut- 
ter. 

• Five-screw  case  design  virtually  pre- 
cludes deformation  during  assembly. 

• Price:  $2.49. 

PERC0M,u  products  may  be  purchased 

from  home  computer  dealers  nation- 
wide, or  may  be  ordered  direct  from  the 

factory.  * 

•Texas  residents  must  include  an 
additional  5%  for  factory  orders.  MC  & 
Visa  cards  honored. 


PERCOM™  peripherals  lor  personal  computing' 


PEfiGCM 


PERCOM  DATA  COMPANY,  INC. 

DEPT.  I 

318  BARNES  • GARLAND,  TEXAS  75042 

Phone:(214)272-3421 


24  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  47 


OCTOBER  1978 


NOCCC  COMPUTER  SWAP  MEET 

The  largest  computer  swap  meet 
will  be  held  on  Sunday,  October  15, 
1978  starting  at  9:30  a.m.  through 
3:30  p.m.  All  computeroids  and  hob- 
byists interested  in  buying  or  selling 
should  not  miss  this  event. 

The  Northern  Orange  County 
Computer  Club  (NOCCC)  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Advanced  Computer  Pro- 
ducts are  co-sponsoring  this  year's 
swap  meet. 

It  will  take  place  at  1310  E.  Edin- 
ger  in  Santa  Ana,  California.  For 
more  information  and  space  reserva- 
tions call  Alice  at  (714)  558-8813. 

EICO  DATA  PRODUCTS  FORMED 

A new  company  specializing  in 
the  marketing  and  distribution  of 
computer  terminals  has  been  formed. 
Called  EICO  Data  Products,  it  is  a 
division  of  EICO  Electronic  Instru- 
ment Company,  Inc.  (O-T-C).  Head- 
ing the  new  company  is  Ms.  Linda 
Ashley  whose  background  includes 
small  business  management,  educa- 
tion and  mathematics. 

Ms.  Ashley  indicated  that  her  com- 
pany will  distribute  several  types  of 
terminals  which  will  be  sold  outright 
or  will  be  available  on  a lease  basis. 
The  terminals  can  be  incorporated 
into  computer  systems  used  by 
businesses,  educational  institu- 
tions, and  personal  computers.  Ter- 
minals serve  the  function  of  distri- 
buting data-processing  information. 

For  further  details  contact  Ms. 
Linda  Ashley  at  EICO  Data  Products, 
108  New  South  Rd.,  Hicksville,  NY 
11801  or  phone  (516)  681-9307. 


JEDEC  RELEASES  CLASS  B & C 
MICROCIRCUIT  STANDARD 

Responsive  to  a long-standing 
need  expressed  by  several  user 
groups,  who  form  the  customer 
base  of  the  semiconductor  manu- 
facturing industry,  the  Joint  Elec- 
tron Device  Engineering  Council 
(JEDEC),  sponsored  by  the  Elec- 
tronic Industries  Association  (EIA), 
the  national  Electrical  Manufactur- 
ers Association  (NEMA),  and  the  in- 
dustry at  large,  has  released  JEDEC 
Publication  No.  101  governing 
JEDEC  Requirements  for  Class  B & 
C Microcircuits. 

Publication  No.  101,  written  by 
the  JC13.2  Committee  on  Govern- 
ment Liaison  for  Microelectronic 
Devices,  provides  an  opportunity  for 
OEMs  to  use  a standard  quote  vehi- 
cle and  uniform  processing  spec 


which  can  commonly  be  used  by 
manufacturer  and  user  alike.  The 
Committee,  which  has  representa- 
tion from  most  semiconductor 
houses  across  the  industry,  unani- 
mously approved  the  spec  for  use  as 
a standard  approach  to  attempt 
resolution  of  the  long-standing  need 
from  the  user  community. 

The  method  outlined  in  Publica- 
tion No.  101  provides  for  the  use  of 
each  manufacturer’s  own  data 


sheet,  in  tandem  with  standard 
screening  and  testing  sequences 
specified  in  MIL-STD-883and  MIL-M- 
38510.  As  an  aid  to  identifying 
"part”  to  "spec”,  a marking  stan- 
dard has  also  been  established 
which  identifies  the  part  by  its 
manufacturer’s  device  type  number 
with  a suffix  designator  JC  relating 
it  to  the  JEDEC  sponsored  Publica- 
tion No.  101  specified  conditions. 
Additional  marketing  specified  in 


Terminal  Systems 

Whether  it  be  Service 


or  just  Friendly  Advice 

TERMINALS 
TELETYPES 
PRINTERS 
COUPLERS 
MODEMS 
CRT’S 
CPU’S 


"Everything  in 
Mini-Computers 
and  Data-Communications.' 

Sales  • Service  • Rentals 

(213)  769-6772  (8  0 0 ) 42  3-2  4 4 9 (4  15  ) 573-77  23 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  SO 


INTERFACE  AGE  25 


Fast,  Reliable  EPROM 


Only  UVP  offers  a complete  family  of  high  quality  UV  Erasing 
Systems  to  meet  your  needs.  And  for  a lot  less  than  you’d 
imagine.  All  offer  simple  operation  and  reliable  performance  for 
fast,  complete  erasure  of  4 to  600  chips  in  20  minutes  or  less! 

Small  wonder  they’ve  become  the  recommended  UV  source  by 
Eprom  manufacturers  and  users. 

Quality-built  and  backed  by  46  years  of  UV  experience  and 
technology. 

Available  only  through  your  authorized  UVP  Eprom  Erasing 
Systems  Dealer. 

ULTRA-VIOLET  PRODUCTS,  INC. □□ 

5100  Walnut  G/ove  Avenue.  San  Gabriel.  CA  91778  U.S.A 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  64 


S-100  BUS  COMPATIBLE.  The  EMM  1104  single  card  plug-in  memory  has 
been  field  tested  and  proven  in  a variety  of  systems  including  the  Poly  88, 
IMSAI,  MITS,  COMPAL-80,  TLD  and  CREMENCO.  16K  BYTES  ON  A CARD. 
Convenient  plug-in  card,  fully  burned-in,  tested  and  guaranteed  by  one  of 
the  industry's  largest  memory  suppliers.  NMOS  STATIC  RAM.  The  4K 


static  RAMs  have  been  proven  in  applications  ranging  from  single  chip 
memories  to  IBM  370  add-on  systems.  They  are  fast, 
reliable,  and  no  refresh  cycle  is  required.  f HHW 

See  your  dealer,  or  contact  us  for  complete  information.  kSIIIIII 


MIL-M-38510  is  used  to  complete  the 
identification  for  these  products. 

Copies  of  the  publication  are 
available  from  ElA's  Engineering 
Department,  Standard  Sales  Office, 
2001  Eye  St.,  NW,  Washington,  D.C. 
20006,  at  a nominal  $2.00  per  copy. 

DUAL  IN-LINE  LEAD  SOCKET 
PANEL  STANDARDS  SET 

The  Electronic  Industries  Associ- 
ation announces  the  availability  of  a 
new  standard,  RS-444,  "Dimensional 
and  Electrical  Characteristics  Defin- 
ing Dual  In-Line  Lead  Socket 
Panels.”  A socket  panel  is  a printed 
circuit  board  with  female  contacts 
inserted  through  holes  in  the  board. 
These  holes  are  to  receive  DIP 
sockets.  This  publication  establish- 
es a unified  numbering  system  to  be 
used  for  dual  in-line  lead  socket 
panels  standardized  by  EIA,  and  pro- 
vides standard  test  methods, 
gauges  and  performance  require- 
ments for  use  in  the  description  of 
these  sockets.  Performance  require- 
ments of  sockets  described  by 
RS-444  are  covered  in  EIA  standard 
RS-415,  “Dimensional  and  Electrical 
Characteristics  Defining  Dual  In- 
Line  Type  Sockets.” 

Copies  of  RS-444  may  be  ordered 
at  $4.00  each  from  the  Standard 
Sales  Office,  Electronic  Industries 
Association,  2001  Eye  St.,  N.W., 
Washington,  D.C.  20006.  A free  In- 
dex of  EIA  & JEDEC  Standards  and 
Engineering  Publications  is  also 
available  upon  request. 


S-100  Bus  Compatible  Memory 
16K  bytes  on  a card 


NMOS  static  RAM 


EIA  DEFINES  PHONE  PLUG 
AND  JACK  STANDARDS 

The  Electronic  Industries 
Association  Engineering  Depart- 
ment announces  the  availability  of 
RS-453,  "Dimensional  Mechanical 
and  Electrical  Characteristics  Defin- 
ing Phone  Plugs  and  Jacks.”  This 
standard  which  covers  dimensional 
characteristics  and  mechanical  and 
electrical  values  is  the  culmination 
of  many  years’  work  by  the  EIA 
Working  Group  on  Sockets,  P-5.2.  It 
is  intended  to  provide  standard 
statements  of  marking,  test  condi- 
tions, dielectric  withstanding 
voltage,  contact  resistance,  and 
mechanical  dimensions  with 
tolerances  in  both  the  inch  and 
metric  systems. 

Copies  of  the  new  standard  may 
be  ordered  from  the  Standard  Sales 
Office,  EIA,  2001  Eye  St.,  N.W., 
Washington,  D.C.  20006. 


26  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  19 


OCTOBER  1978 


STANDARDS  ON  RACKS,  PANELS 
AND  ASSOCIATED  EQUIPMENT 
UPDATED 

The  Electronic  Industries 
Association  Engineering  Depart- 
ment has  revised  RS-310.  The  most 
recent  revision  of  this  thirty-year-old 
standard,  RS-310-C,  “Racks,  Panels 
and  Associated  Equipment,”  con- 
tains updated  dimensions  to  ensure 
complete  compatibility  between 
racks  and  electronic  gear  to  be 
mounted  in  such  racks.  This  stan- 
dard should  serve  as  an  important 
communication  device  between 
manufacturers  and  users  in  the  elec- 
tronics industry.  The  dimensioning 
has  been  based  on  the  positional 
tolerance  (true  position)  concept 
and  has  been  given  in  inches  and 
millimeters  to  facilitate  the  conver- 
sion to  the  metric  system. 

Available  at  $4.00  each,  copies  of 
RS-310-C  may  be  ordered  from  the 
Standard  Sales  Office,  Electronic  In- 
dustries Association,  2001  Eye  St., 
N.W.,  Washington,  D.C.  20006. 

TANDY  COMPUTER  USERS  GROUP 
FORMED 

The  National  Capitol  Chapter  of 
the  Tandy  Computer  Users  Group 
has  been  formed.  General  member- 
ship meetings  are  held  the  last  Wed- 
nesday of  each  month.  The  group  is 
open  to  any  and  all  interested  per- 
sons. For  more  details  on  group  ac- 
tivities, you  may  write  to  the  group 
President,  Rod  Wright,  8205  Chivalry 
Rd.,  Annandale,  VA  22003,  or  call 
him  at  (703)  560-5854. 

MINI/MICRO  COMMITTEE  FORMED 

The  formation  of  a Mini-Micro 
Committee  to  address  the  concerns 
of  the  developing  software  products 
and  turnkey  system  industry  using 
micro  and  minicomputers  was  an- 
nounced by  the  Software  Industry 
Association  of  ADAPSO.  The  pur- 
pose of  this  trade  association  com- 
mittee is  to  work  in  the  interest  of 
member  software  firms  and  hard- 
ware manufacturers  supplying  soft- 
ware. Issues  planned  for  discussion 
include  the  marketing  of  software, 
software  support,  software  protec- 
tion, technology  transfer  and  train- 
ing, taxation,  pricing,  product  stan- 
dards, users  groups,  plus  others 
that  members  feel  are  of  general  in- 
terest and  appropriate  to  the  trade 
association. 

Companies  interested  in  further 
information  on  the  Mini-Micro  Com- 


mittee should  contact  Stephen  M. 
Hicks,  Chairman,  Mini-Micro  Com- 
mittee, Forth,  Inc.,  815  Manhattan 
Ave.,  Manhattan  Beach,  CA  90266, 
(213)  372-8493. 

ATLANTIC  RESEARCH 
OFFERS  COURSE  ON 
DATA  COMMUNICATION  BASICS 


Atlantic  Research  is  offering  a 
two-day  course  on  data  communica- 
tions titled,  "An  Introduction  to 
Basic  Concepts  and  Systems." 

The  first  day  of  the  course  will 
deal  with  such  basics  as  system 
components  and  their  functions  with- 
in the  data  communication  facility; 
front  ends,  concentrators,  transmis- 
sion facilities,  modems  and  terminals; 
the  communication  channel  and  its 
basic  capacity;  network  organization 
and  methods  of  encoding  data  onto 
the  communication  channel. 

During  the  second  day,  the  course 
will  cover  a review  of  line  protocols 
(Async,  Bisync,  SDLC);  the  RS-232/ 
V. 24  interface  and  control  of  the 
communication  channel,  including  a 
review  of  the  control  signals  and 
their  functions,  interaction  of  the 
control  signals  in  a typical  on-line 
environment,  trouble  shooting  data 
communications  problems  at  the 
RS-232/V.24  interface,  and  perfor- 
mance monitoring  at  the  RS-232/ 
V.24  interface. 

The  two-day  course  costs  $250 
and  is  scheduled  to  be  held  in  a 
number  of  cities  throughout  the 
United  States: 

June  19.  20  New  York,  NY 


July  17, 18 
August  7,  8 
October  16, 17 
December  4,  5 


Chicago,  IL 
Washington,  DC 
Washington,  DC 
San  Francisco,  CA 


For  more  information  contact 
Atlantic  Research  Corp.,  Teleprod- 
ucts Div.,  5390  Cherokee  Ave.,  Alex- 
andria, VA  22314,  (703)  354-3400. 

DATA  BASE  SYSTEMS  PUBLISHED 

Ronald  G.  Ross  has  released  a 
new  book,  Data  Base  Systems.  Pub- 
lished by  AMACOM,  it  is  the  first 
comprehensive  guide  to  the  still 
growing  field  of  data  base  technology. 

Ross  supplies  an  introduction  to 
data  base  management  systems  as 
well  as  a discussion  of  the  evolution 
of  it.  He  also  looks  at  the  direction  in 
which  the  systems  is  moving  and 
the  practical  implementation  and 
management  of  data  base  systems. 

In  addition,  Data  Base  Systems  de- 
scribes the  various  techniques  that 
are  currently  on  the  market  and  looks 
at  the  differences  between  them. 


NORTH  STAR 
USER’S  GROUP 
LIBRARY' 


The  NSUj  library  is  the  largest  collection  of 
user  written  software  available  anywhere. 
Currently  there  are  19  disks  carrying  over  300 
programs  containing  a wide  range  of 
applications.  These  are  now  available  for 
public  distribution  and  run  on  North  Star  Disk 
Systems. 


Special 

Introductory 

Offer 

m0oo,sn« 

value 

Listed  below  is  the  North  Star  Library  Disc  II , 
the  special  includes  this  disk  and  a canplete  I 
description  of  all  the  programs  in  the  library. 

Each  disk  in  the  library  is  sold  seperately  for 
S14.9S.  The  program  descriptions  can  be 
purchased  seperately  for  $12.95. 

KSUG41  Programs: 

Telly 
Sinpantn 
Reverse 
Horse 
D-mandc 
Girl ins 
Tlphbook 
Wrdguess 
Mail* 

Filelook 
Tstdisas 
Maillable 
Hex  to 
Progf ilc 
Interest 
Cube 
Sirtv/ 

Stddcv 
Phone 

A list  of  the  entir 
obtained  for  an  add it 
Please  allow  3 weeks 

Only  available  through  R.H.S.  Marketing  in  j 
co-operation  with  the  North  Star  Users  Group. 


WRITE  OR  CALL: 

R.H.S. 

Marketing 

2233  EL  CAMINO  REAL 
PALO  ALTO,  CA  94306 
(415)  321-6639 

Master  Charge  and  BankAmer  icard  accepted 
• THE  NORTH  STAR  USER’S  GROUP  IS  NOT  AFFILIATED 
WITH  NORTH  STAR  COMPUTERS,  INCORPORATED 

OF  BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA  


DiSCS& 

Wrdadd 

Sortofil 

Filefix 

Mult 

Bf iitcr 

Lunlen 

Lander 

Blkjck 

Look file 

Girl 

Biorythm 

Listfilc 

Wrdf ile 

Zip look 

Disasm2 

Add 

Elcelc 

c library  contents  can  be 
ional  $2.00 
for  delivery. 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  48 


INTERFACE  AGE  27 


F 8/3870 . 
Application 

Manual 


Wilh  Ihc  explosive  growth  ot  microprocessor 
designs,  your  position  in  the  held  ot  electronics  can 
become  obsolete  in  six  months.  We  at  Systems 
Insights  know  how  hard  it  is  to  keep  up.  so  we 
prepared  a book  just  tor  you.  Microprocessors  in 
Systems  walks  you  through  seven  microprocessor 
based  designs  including  both  industrial  and  con- 
sumer applications  and  special  emphasis  on  the  Mi 
family  and  the  new  single  chip  microcomputer, 
the  3870. 

WHAT  YOU  GET 

1 . Complete  instructions  and  explanations  to  proto- 
type all  designs  on  the  SI  50  Mustek  Evaluation 
Kit  including 

2 . A computer  operated  sign  display  and  high  speed 
printer  controller  suitable  lor  use  as  a peripheral 
processor  and 

3.  FREE!  MlTOSttbetirst  real  time  operating  system 
tor  small  microcomputers)  including  a MITOS 
listing,  memory  dump,  flow  charts,  and  stack 
manipulation  functions  tor  up  to  SO  concurrently 
active  tasks. 

4.  Designs  running  under  MITOS.  including  an 
appliance  controller  subsystem  with  keyboard, 
display  and  time  ot  day;  a telephone  call  moni- 
tor with  12  digit  storage  and  recall,  trattic 
recorder  system  with  simultaneous  high  speed 
input,  time  ot  day  maintenance,  I/O  tormatting. 
asynchronous  output,  and  a muiti-tunction  audio 
signal  generator  including  beeps,  warbles,  and 
sine  wave  synthesis. 

5.  Microprocessor  Diagnostics  including  functional 
RAM  tests  (MARCH  and  GALLOP}  with  failure 
print-out;  bidirectional  I/O  sell  test  with  failure 
print-out;  and  on  board  ROM  verification,  You 
owe  it  to  yourself.  Insure  your  |ob  security  and 
open  doors  to  advancement.  Buy  Microproces- 
sors in  Systems  today! 


Rush  me  all  350  pages  ot  Microprocessors  in 
Systems,  including  the  FREE  real  time  operating 
system.  MITOS. 


NAME 


ADDRESS 


CITY.  STATE.  l\\> 


□ Send  my  book  COD 

□ MC# 


□ Visa  # 

□ My  check  is  enclosed.  $7.50  + 50c  handling. 
Texas  residents  include  38c  tax. 

To  order  this  book  COD.  circle  the  reader  service 
number  below. 


astern  Insights 

Box  1 Austin,  Texas  78767 
(512)  476-7599 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  58 


28  INTERFACE  AGE 


Nov  1 Columbus  Computer  Club 
will  meet  at  the  Center  of  Science 
and  Industry  at  7:30  P.M.  For  fur- 
ther information  write  c/o  Fred 
Hatfield  K8VDU,  Computer  Data 
Systems,  1372  Grandview  Ave., 
Columbus,  OH  43212,  or  call  (614) 
488-3347. 

Nov  1 Kitchener  Waterloo  Micro- 
computer Club  will  meet  at  the 
University  of  Waterloo,  Room 
3388,  Engineering  Bldg.  #4, 
University  Ave.,  Waterloo,  On- 
tario, Canada  at  7:30  P.M. 

Nov  1 Lincoln  Computer  Club  will 
hold  its  meeting  at  the  South 
Branch  Library  located  on  27th 
and  South  Sts.  at  7 P.M.  For  more 
details  write  Hubert  Paulson,  Jr., 
422  Dale  Dr.,  Lincoln,  NE  68510. 

Nov  1 New  England  Computer  Soci- 
ety will  meet  in  the  cafeteria  of 
the  MITRE  Corp.  at  7:00  P.M. 
Located  on  Route  62  in  Bedford, 
MA.  Contact  Dave  Day  at  P.O. 
Box  198,  Bedford,  MA  01730,  (603) 
434-4239  for  details. 

Nov  1 The  Valley  Computer  Club 
will  meet  at  7 P.M.  at  the  Harvard 
School  located  at  3700  Coldwater 
Canyon,  Studio  City,  CA. 

Nov  2 Bay  Area  Microprocessors 
Users  Group  (BAMUG)  will  meet 
in  the  Hayward  ROC  Center, 
26316  Hesperian  Blvd.,  Hayward, 
CA  at  7:30  P.M.  For  further  details 
write  BAMUG,  1211  Santa  Clara 
Avenue,  Alameda,  CA  94501. 

Nov  2 Microcomputer  Users  Group 
(MCG)  will  hold  its  meeting  at  the 
University  of  Minnesota,  Elec- 
trical Eng.  Rm.  115  at  7 P.M.  The 
club  meets  every  Thursday.  For 
more  information  write  MCG, 
Dept,  of  Elec.  Eng.,  123  Church 
St.  S.E.,  Minneapolis,  MN  55455. 

Nov  2 Northwest  Computer  Soci- 
ety meets  in  the  Pacific  Science 
Center  in  Seattle,  Room  200  at 
7:30  P.M.  The  club  also  meets  on 
the  third  Thursday  of  the  month. 
For  more  details  write  NCCN, 
Box  4193,  Seattle,  WA  98055. 

Nov  3 Crescent  City  Computer  Club 
will  hold  its  meeting  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  Orleans,  Lakefront 
Campus  at  8 P.M.  Call  Bob  Latham 
at  (504)  722-6321  for  more  details. 

Nov  3 Microcomputer  Information 
Group  will  meet  at  7 P.M.  at  the 
Microcomputer  Resource  Center, 
5150  Anton  Dr.,  Rm.  212,  Madison, 
Wl  53719,  (608)  274-8925.  Len 
Lindsay,  president. 

Nov  4 Louisville  Area  Computer 
Club  (LACE)  will  meet  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Louisville,  Speed  School 


Auditorium  at  1 P.M.  For  details, 
write  the  club  at  115  Edgemont 
Dr.,  New  Alban,  IN  47150. 

Nov  4 Milwaukee  Area  Computer 
Club  will  meet  at  1 P.M.  at  the 
Waukesha  County  Technical  In- 
stitute, New  Berlin,  Wl.  Call  (414) 
246-6634  for  further  details. 

Nov  4 Oklahoma  Computer  Club 
will  be  meeting  at  the  Belle  Aisle 
Library  at  10  A.M.  Call  Al  Camp- 
bell at  (405)  842-4933  for  details. 

Nov  4 South  Central  Kansas  Ama- 
teur Computer  Association,  9:00 
A.M.,  Wichita  Public  Library, 
Wichita,  KS.  For  further  informa- 
tion call  Chris  Borger  at  (316) 
265-1120  or  Dave  Rawson,  1825 
Gary,  Wichita,  KS  67219,  (316) 
744-1629  for  further  details. 

Nov  4 Southern  Nevada  Personal 
Computing  Society  will  meet  at 
Clark  County  Community  Col- 
lege, Las  Vegas,  NV  at  12:00.  The 
club  also  meets  on  the  3rd  Satur- 
day of  the  month.  For  further  in- 
formation write  SNPCS,  1405 
Lucille  St.,  Las  Vegas,  NV  89101 
or  call  (702)  642-0212. 

Nov  5 The  Computer  Hobbyist 
Group  will  meet  at  1 P.M.  in  the 
Green  Center,  Rm  2.530,  of  Univ. 
of  Texas,  Dallas.  For  details  write 
to  P.O.  Box  11344,  Grand  Prairie, 
TX  75051. 

Nov  6 Amateur  Radio  Research  and 
Development  Corp.  (AMRAD) 
meets  the  first  Monday  of  each 
month  at  8 P.M.  at  the  Patrick 
Henry  Branch  Library,  101  Maple 
Ave.  E,  Vienna,  VA.  for  details 
write  the  club  at  1524  Springvale 
Ave.,  McLean,  VA  22101. 

Nov  6 Minnesota  Computer  Society 
will  meet  at  the  Brown  Institute, 
Room  51,  3123  E.  Lake  Street, 
Minneapolis,  MN.  For  further  in- 
formation contact  the  Society  at 
Box  35317,  Minneapolis,  MN 
55435,  Attn:  Jean  Rice. 

Nov  7 Tidewater  Computer  Club 
will  meet  at  the  Electronic  Com- 
puter Programming  Institute, 
Janaf  Office  Bldg.,  Janaf  Shop- 
ping Center  in  Norfolk.  The  club 
also  meets  on  the  3rd  Tuesday  of 
the  month.  For  details  contact:  C. 
Dawson  Yeomans,  Interface 
Chairman,  677  Lord  Dunmore  Dr., 
Virginia  Beach,  VA  23462. 

Nov  8 Home  Computers  Users 
Group  for  Radio  Shack  TRS-80 
meets  at  7:30  PM.  For  details  write 
or  call  TRS-80  Users  Group  Infor- 
mation of  Eastern  Massachusetts, 
c/o  Miller,  61  Lake  Shore  Road, 
Natick,  MA  01760,  (617)  653-6136. 


OCTOBER  1978 


sssssE 


sees 


A6lermu^  8085  sett 

**%£&*«** 

iaioedc°  AM 

capa"  go  disp'ov  'e'rtl,r'a' 

s«5rr« 

SS&SS-u 


DS»op®edbos\caod 

l'8  oroWO^'oN 

r mMWW  COW 

E BVtt  C°  530  , 8.8055 

®'^5  1^468  80 


'/VWfc' 

!otvou<  neater 


Q\Ol- 


i. 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  N0.S1 


INTERFACE  AGE  29 


Nov  8 Homebrew  Computer  Club 
meeting  will  begin  at  7 P.M.  in 
Menlo  Park,  CA  at  the  Stanford 
Linear  Accelerator  Center  Audi- 
torium. Contact  the  club  at  P.O. 
Box  626,  Mountain  View,  CA 
94042,  (415)  967-6754  for  details. 

Nov  8 Blackhawk  Bit  Burners  Com- 
puter Club  meets  on  the  second 
Wednesday  monthly  at  7:15  PM  in 
Rockford,  IL.  For  more  informa- 
tion contact  Frank  D.  Dougherty, 
325  Beacon  Dr.,  Belvidere,  IL 
61008,  (815)  544-5206. 

Nov  9 Mid  America  Computer  Hob- 
byist meeting  will  be  at  7:00  P.M. 
at  Commercial  Federal  Savings  & 
Loan,  Bellevue  NE.  Intersection  of 
Galvin  Rd.  and  U.S.  Hwy.  73-75. 
Write  P.O.  Box  13303,  Omaha,  NE 
68113  for  further  information. 

Nov  9 North  Florida  Computer 
Society  will  meet  at  227  Edison 
Dr.,  Pensacola,  FL  32505.  For  de- 
tails write  this  address  or  call 
Eugene  Rhodes  at  (904)  453-3844. 

Nov  9 The  Rochester  Area  Micro- 
computer Society  will  meet  at  the 
RIT  Campus,  Rm.  1030,  Bldg.  9 at 
7:30  P.M.  For  details  write  RAMS, 
P.O.  Box  D,  Rochester,  NY  14609. 

Nov  9 Utah  Computer  Association 
will  meet  at  Murray  High  School, 
Rm  154,  5440  S.  State  St.,  Salt 
Lake  City,  UT  at  7 P.M.  For  details 
write  or  call  Larry  or  Holly  Barney, 
1928  S.  2600  E.,  Salt  Lake  City,  UT 
84108.  (801)  485-3476. 

Nov  10  HAUCC  will  meet  at  7:30  PM 
in  Rm  117  of  the  Science  & Re- 
search Bldg,  of  the  main  campus 
of  the  Univ.  of  Houston.  For  more 
details  write  or  call  P.O.  Box  37201, 
Houston,  TX  77036,  (713)  661-6806. 

Nov  10  Northern  New  Jersey  Ama- 
teur Computer  Club  (NNJACC)  will 
hold  its  meeting  at  the  Fairleigh 
Dickenson  University,  on  the 
Rutherford  Campus,  Becton  Hall, 
Room  B8,  at  7 P.M.  For  details 
write  NNJACC,  593  New  York 
Ave.,  Lyndhurst,  NJ  07071. 

Nov  11  The  Permian  Basin  Compu- 
ter Group  — Odessa  Chapter 
meets  at  1 P.M.  in  the  Electronic 
Technology  Bldg.,  Room  203  on 
the  Odessa  College  campus.  For 
details  contact  John  Rabenaldt, 
Box  3912,  Odessa,  TX  79760,  (915) 
332-9151. 

Nov  12  North  Orange  County  Com- 
puter Club  will  have  its  meeting 
at  Chapman  College,  Orange,  CA. 
Doors  open  at  12:00.  105  Hash- 
inger  Hall  Auditorium.  Member- 
ship Chairman,  Tracey  Lerocker, 
(714)  998-8080  evenings.  For  more 

30  INTERFACE  AGE 


information  write  P.O.  Box  3603, 
Orange,  CA  92655. 

Nov  14  Okaloosa  Computer  Hobby- 
ist Club  will  meet  in  the  Commun- 
ity Room  of  the  First  Federal  Sav- 
ings & Loan  Assoc,  of  Okaloosa 
County,  158  Elgin  Pkwy  N.E.,  Ft. 
Walton  Beach,  FL  at  7 P.M.  For 
details  call  (904)  242-5938. 

Nov  14  Rome  Area  Computer  En- 
thusiasts (RACE)  meets  on  the 
second  Tuesday  of  every  month 
at  Patty’s  Stagecoach  Inn  at  7:30 
P.M.  For  details  contact  Mike 
Troutman,  RD  1,  W.  Carter  Rd., 
Rome,  NY  13440,  (315)  336-0986. 

Nov  16  Madison  Computer  Society 
will  meet  at  7:30  P.M.  at  2707 
McDivitt  Rd.,  Madison,  Wl  53713. 
Mike  Shoh,  president. 

Nov  16  Sacramento  Pet  Workshop 
meets  from  7-10  P.M.  every  third 
Thursday  of  the  month.  For  more 
information  contact  David  Howe, 
(916)  445-7926. 

Nov  17  Amateur  Computer  Group 
of  New  Jersey  (ACGNJ)  meets  at 
UCTI,  1776  Raritan  Rd.,  Scotch 
Plains,  NJ  07076  at  7 P.M.  For  fur- 
ther information  write  to  the  club 
at  the  above  address. 

Nov  17  Long  Island  Computer 
Association  meets  at  7 PM  at  the 
New  York  Institute  of  Technology, 
Old  Westbury  Campus,  Route 
25A  between  Route  107  and  Glen 
Cove  Rd.,  Rm.  508.  For  more 
details  write  Long  Island  Com- 
puter Association,  36  Irene  Lane 
East,  Plainview,  NY  11803. 

Nov  18  Computer  Hobbyist  Group  of 
North  Texas  meets  at  UTA  Univers- 
ity Hall,  Rm  108  at  1 PM  in  Arling- 
ton, TX.  For  details  contact  Neil 
Ferguson  at  P.O.  Box  1344,  Grand 
Prairie,  TX  75051,  (817)  387-0612. 

Nov  18  Philadelphia  Area  Computer 
Society  will  meet  at  2 PM  at 
LaSalle  College  Science  Bldg,  at 
the  corner  of  20th  & Olney  Ave. 
For  more  details  write  PACS,  P.O. 
Box  1954,  Philadelphia,  PA  19105. 

Nov  18  The  7C’s  Committee  (Affili- 
ated with  the  Cleveland  Digital 
Group)  will  meet  at  Cleveland 
State  University  Student  Services 
Bldg.,  in  the  Kiva  Room  at  2:00 
P.M.  For  more  information  write  to 
Cleveland  Digital  Group,  8700  Har- 
vard Ave.,  Cleveland,  OH  44105. 

Nov  18  San  Diego  Computer  Soci- 
ety will  meet  at  the  Grossmont 
Community  College  Student  Cen- 
ter, 8800  Grossmont  College  Dr., 
El  Cajon,  CA.  Doors  open  at  12:30. 
For  details  write  P.O.  Box  9988, 
San  Diego,  CA  92109,  or  call  (714) 
565-1738. 


See  the 


these  stores. 


Arizona 

Byte  Shop.  Tempe.  AZ 
Byte  Shop.  TUcson.  AZ 

Caliiornia 

Jade  Computer  Products. 

Hawthorne.  CA 
Byte  Shop.  Lawndale.  CA 
Computer  Center,  San  Diego.  CA 
Byte  Shop.  San  Jose.  CA 
Byte  Shop.  San  Ratael.  CA 
Computer  Store,  Santa  Monica.  CA 
Connecticut 

The  Computer  Store.  Windsor  Locks.  CT 

Colorado 

Computer  Technology.  Denver  CO 

Hawaii 

Microcomputer  System.  Honolulu.  HA 

Illinois 

Illinois  Microcomputers.  Naperville.  IL 

Iowa 

Memory  Bank.  Davenport.  lO 

Kansas 

Computer  Systems  Design.  Wichita,  KS 

Louisiana 

Microcomputers  of  New  Orleans.  LA 

Massachusetts 

CPU  Shop.  Charlestown.  MA 
Computer  Mart.  Waltham.  MA 

Michigan 

Newman  Computer  Exchange. 

Ann  Arbor  MI 

United  Microsystems  Corporation. 

Ann  Arbor.  Ml 
Hobby  Electronics.  Flint.  Ml 
Computer  Mart.  Royal  Oak.  MI 

Nebraska 

Omaha  Computer  Store.  Omaha.  NB 

New  Hampshire 

Computer  Mart.  Nashua.  NH 

New  Jersey 

Computer  Mart,  lselin,  NJ 

New  York 

Mini-Micro  Mart,  Syracuse.  NY 

Ohio 

Cybershop  Microcomputer  Systems. 
Columbus.  OH 

Dayton  Computer  Mart.  Dayton.  OH 
21st  Century  Shop 
Cincinnati,  OH 

Oregon 

Real  Oregon  ComputerCompany. 
Eugene,  OR 

Computer  Pathways  Unlimited, 

Salem,  OR 

Texas 

Micro  Mike's.  Amanllo.  TX 
Interactive  Computers. 

Houston.  TX 

Byte  Shop.  Richardson.  TX 

Virginia 

Computers  Plus.  Alexandna.  VA 
The  Computer  Place.  Roanoke.  VA 

Washington,  D.C. 

Georgetown  Computers. 

Washington,  DC 

Computerland 

at  most  stores 


Integral  Data  Systems,  Inc. 
14  Tech  Circle,  Natick,  MA  01 760 
(617)237-7610 


Pay  a little  bit  more 
and  get  a printer  that’s 

brighter  than  your  computer. 
The  BrighterWriter. 


iMl 


X 


sbcdef 


sbcdef 


When  a few  dollars  more  buys 
you  a first-class  impact  printer, 
why  settle  for  a toy?  The  Brighter- 
Writer gives  you  quality  to  start 
with.  And  versatility  that  stays 
even  if  you  outgrow  your 
present  personal  computer. 

Built  smart  like  the  big  ones. 

The  BrighterWriter's  a smart 
printer.  There's  a microcomputer 
inside.  It  outwits  even  the  bigger, 
higher-priced  printers.  So  you 
get  versatility  to  do  all  kinds  of 
printing.  And  power  to  grow  on. 

Prints  fat,  skinny, 
tall,  small* 

The  printer  can 
be  as  creative 
as  your  imag- 
ination. Stretch 
out  your  char- 
acters. Squeeze  them  close. 

Make  them  high.  Low. 

Bold.  Banner.  You  name  it.  • 

Plugs  into  your  computer 

No  matter  what  personal 
computer  you  own  or  plan  to 
buy,  the  BrighterWriter  plugs  in. 

Simply  and  quickly  Hundreds 
of  BrighterWriters  are  working  in 
Apple,  TRS-80,  Heathkit,  S-100 
and  many  other  personal 
computer  systems  right  now. 

Pictures  and  fancy 
symbols* 

The  BrighterWriter 
draws  out  your  cre- 
ativity You  can  print 
drawings,  graphs, 
diagrams,  bold  symbols,  or  just 
about  any  graphic  you  can 
imagine. 

"Some  o!  these  advantages  require  extra-cost  options. 

OCTOBER  1978 


Picture  your  page  as  thou- 
sands of  dots.  The  BrighterWriter 
can  fill  in  the  dots,  plot  them  con- 
tiguously, stack  them,  or  scatter 
them.  And  its  special  set  of  gra- 
. phic  characters 
simplifies  the 
process. 

Prints  any  char- 
acter a typewriter 
5...  : i can  paster . . . 

The  BrighterWriter  can  print 
plain  and  simple.  With  7x7  dot 
matrix  clarity  You  get  all  the  let- 
ters, numbers,  and  standard 
symbols  of  a 

regular 


/ •-  •••.  ;**. 
C>  .*•••  *••• 

•••  •••  • 
• * •••  • • 

w ••••* 

*•••  .••• 
••*  •••  • 


i_y\r 


typewriter.  At  up 
to  165  characters/sec. 

Ordinary  paper 

Fancy  or  plain,  the  Brighter- 
Writer prints  on  ordinary  paper. 
Better  yet,  it  prints  on  many 
shapes  of  paper.  Single  sheets. 
Roll.  Fanfold. 

Want  more  copies?  The 
BrighterWriter  prints  multiple 
copies  without  extra  adjustments. 

Four  easy  buttons. 

Operating  the  BrighterWriter 
couldn't  be  simpler.  Up-front  con- 
trols are  easy  to  get  to.  A power 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  24 


button  to  turn  it  on.  A test  button  to 
self-test  your  printer.  A paper  feed 
button  to  advance  the  sheets  or 
forms.  Aline  feed  button  to 
advance  the  paper  a line  at 
a time. 

iijfri-  -Hj-  Prints 

any-which-  way. 

The  BrighterWriter  comes  in 
two  models.  The  IP-225,  at  $949, 
gives  you  a BrighterWriter  with 
tractor-feed  drive  for  precision 
forms  control.  This  one  can 
handle  everything  from  labels  to 
8V2"  paper  widths. 

It  has  eight  form  lengths  and 
gives  you  all  the  features  of  our 
IP- 125. 

A brighter 
buy. 

Our  IP- 125, 

friction -feed  .BrighterWriter 
has  a 96  character  set  and 
prints  on  8Y2"  wide  paper. 
Upper  and  lowercase.  It  prints 
expanded  characters,  too. 

You  can  choose  a RS-232  serial 
or  parallel  interface.  $799 

Lots  of  goodies. 

There's  more.  Choose  all  kinds 
of  options  for  your  BrighterWriter. 
Up  to  132  characters  per  line,  var- 
iable character  densities,  larger 
buffers,  special  graphics  pack- 
ages, interface  cables,  and  more. 

Give  us  a call  or  write.  Integral 
Data  Systems,  14  Tech  Circle, 
Natick,  MA  01760,  (617)  237-7610. 

Better  yet,  see  the  Brighter- 
Writer at  the  store  nearest  you. 


Integral  Data  Systems,  Inc. 
INTERFACE  AGE  31 


modem  / 'mo  • dam  / [modulator 
+ demodulator]  n - s : a device  for 
transmission  of  digital  information 
via  an  analog  channel  such  as  a tele- 
phone circuit. 


• Complete  Data  Communications  Subsystem 
Including  Autodial  Capability  • Fully  S-100  Bus  Compatible 
Proven  in  Numerous  Applications  • Communication  Compatible  with 
North  American  Standard  Bell  System  1 03  Modems  • Software  Control  of 
Originate  and  Answer  Format,  and  Parity  • Extensive  Self-Test  Capability  • All  Digital 
Modulation  and  Demodulation  Means  No  User  Adjustments  Required  • On-Board  Crystal 
Oscillator  Insures  Proper  Timing  in  all  S-100  Systems  • Break  Generation  • Meets  or  Exceeds 
all  Bell  System  and  FCC  Specifications  for  use  with  a CBT Coupler  (Data  Access  Arrangement 
-DAA)  • 90  Day  Limited  Warranty 


D.C.  Hayes  Associates,  Inc. 

16  PERIMETER  PARK  DR.  SUITE  101 
P.O.  BOX  9884  ATLANTA,  GEORGIA,  30319  (404)  455-7663 

DISTRIBUTED  IN  CANADA  BY  TRINTRONICS,  LTD.,  TORONTO 


USES* 

• Intelligent  Terminal  • Timesharing  • Distributed  Processing  • Automatic  Data  Collection 

• Access  to  Remote  Data  Base  • Line  Concentrator  • Telecommuting 

• Electronic  Mail  • Remote  Access  to  Process  Control  Systems 

v ivvai  c uaui  lai  iv^c  * iiuciauuvo  — wiimiui  iiij 

Electronic  Bulletin  Board  • Downline  Loading  of 
Software  to  Remote  Systems  • Remote 
Software  Maintenance  and 
Customer  Support 


FEATURES  • 


32  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  22 


OCTOBER  1978 


Nov  19  Central  Florida  Computer 
Club  will  meet  at  2010  Fosgate 
Dr.,  Winter  Park,  FL  32789  2:00 
PM.  Contact  Bill  Kerns  for  details. 

Nov  19  Cleveland  Digital  Group 
meets  at  2 P.M.  in  the  old  railroad 
station  at  Safier’s  Inc.,  8700  Har- 
vard Ave.,  Cleveland,  OH  44105. 
Write  the  club  at  this  address  for 
more  information. 

Nov  21  Rhode  Island  Computer 
Hobbyists  (RICH)  meets  the  at 
the  Knight  Campus  of  Rhode 
Island  Junior  College  in  the 
Faculty  Cafeteria  at  7:30  P.M.  For 
details  contact  Emilio  lannucillo, 
RICH,  P.O.  Box  559,  Bristol,  Rl 
02809,  or  call  (401)  253-5450. 

Nov  22  Ventura  County  Computer 
Society  will  meet  at  Camarillo 
Public  Library,  3100  Ponderosa 
Dr.,  Port  Hueneme,  CA  93041  at 
7:30  P.M.  For  more  information 
write:  VCCS,  P.O.  Box  525,  Port 
Hueneme,  CA  93041. 

Nov  22  Diablo  Professional  Users 
Group  (DPUG)  will  meet  at  Diablo 
Valley  College  Library,  near  the 
Willow  Pass  exit  of  Fwy.  680, 
from  8-10  PM.  For  details  write  or 
call  Bob  Hendrickson,  Elec- 
tronics Dept.,  DVC,  Pleasant  Hill, 
CA  94523;  (415)  687-8373. 

Nov  22  Boston  Computer  Society 
will  meet  at  the  Commonwealth 
School,  151  Commonwealth  Ave., 
Boston  at  7 P.M.  The  school  is 
located  on  the  corner  of  Dart- 
mouth St.  in  Boston’s  Back  Bay. 
For  information  write  or  call  the 
society  at  17  Chestnut  St., 
Boston,  MA  02108,  (617)  227-1399. 

Nov  24  Alamo  Computer  Enthusi- 
ast meets  at  7:30  PM  in  Rm  104  at 
Chapman  Graduate  Center  atTrin- 
ity  University,  San  Antonio,  TX. 
For  details  call  (512)  532-2340,  or 
write  to  the  club  at  7517  Jonquill, 
San  Antonio,  TX  78233. 

Nov  24  Washington  Amateur  Com- 
puter Society  will  meet  at  the 
Catholic  University  of  America, 
St.  Johns  Hall,  located  at 
Michigan  and  Harewood  Aves.  in 
Washington,  D.C.  Contact  Bill 
Stewart  at  (202)  722-0210  for  club 
details  between  the  hours  of  10 
A.M.  and  12  P.M. 

Nov  26  Birmingham  Microproces- 
sor Group  will  meet  at  Southcen- 
tral Bell  Company  headquarters 
bldg,  at  2 P.M.  For  further  details 

OCTOBER  1978 


write  or  call  Jim  Anderson,  2931 
Balmoral  Rd.,  Birmingham,  AL 
35223;  (205)  897-9630. 

Nov  26  Summit  City  Computer  Club 
will  meet  at  the  McMillen  Library 
on  the  Indiana  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology Campus  in  Ft.  Wayne,  IN. 
For  details  write  the  club  at  P.O. 
Box  5096,  Ft.  Wayne,  IN  46805. 

Nov  28  Southern  California  Users 
of  RT-1 1 (SCURT)  will  meet  at  9:30 
AM  at  USC’s  Annenberg  School 
of  Communications.  For  details 
call  Mark  Bartelt,  (213)  795-6811, 
ext.  2663;  or  Ray  Rittenhouse, 
(213)  640-1830,  ext.  225. 

Nov  28  Computer  Amateurs  of  So. 
Jersey  will  holds  its  meeting  at 
the  National  Park  Municipal  Bldg., 
7 So.  Grove  Ave.,  National  Park,  NJ 
at  7:30  P.M.  For  details  call  (609) 
541-1010,  or  (609)  541-8296. 

Nov  28  Sacramento  Microcomputer 
Users  Group,  (SMUG),  7:30-9:30 
P.M.  at  SMUD  Training  Bldg.,  on 
59  St.  Write  Richard  Lerseth,  P.O. 
Box  161513  or  call  (916)  381-0335 
after  5:00  P.M. 

Nov  28  Okaloosa  Computer  Hobby- 
ist Club  will  meet  in  the  Santa 
Rosa  Rm,  in  the  Santa  Rosa  Mall, 
Mary  Esther,  FL  at  7 P.M.  For 
details  call  (904)  242-5938. 

Nov  28  The  Digital  Group  Group 
meets  the  last  Tuesday  of  each 
month  in  the  meeting  room  of 
Consumer  Systems  at  2107  Swift 
Rd.,  Oak  Brook,  IL  at  7:30  PM.  For 
more  information  write  the  group 
c/o  William  L.  Colsher,  4328  Nut- 
meg Ln.,  Apt.  Ill,  Lisle,  IL  60532. 

Nov  28  The  Apple  Portland  Program 
Library  Exchange  (APPLE)  meets 
on  the  last  Tuesday  of  each 
month  at  7:30  PM.  For  location 
and  details  contact  Ken  Hoggatt, 
9195  SW  Elrose  Ct.,  Tigard,  OR 
97223,  (503)  639-5505  or  (503) 
644-0161,  Ext.  6136. 

Nov  29  The  National  Capitol  Chap- 
ter of  the  Tandy  Computer  Users 
Group  meets  on  the  last  Wednes- 
day of  each  month.  For  details 
contact  Rod  Wright,  8205  Chivalry 
Rd.,  Annandale,  VA  22003,  (703) 
560-5854. 

Nov  30  Small  Computer  Engineer- 
ing Association  of  Minnesota 
(SCEAM)  will  meet  at  the  Resource 
Access  Center,  3010  Fourth  Ave. 
So.,  Minneapolis,  MN  55408  at  7 
P.M.  For  more  information  write  to 
this  address  or  call  (612)  824-6406. 


You  don’t  buy  a 
personal  computer 
everyday. 

So  when  you  do, 
make  sure  you  know 
what  you’re  buying. 

Hayden  can  help  with 
4 introductory  guides! 

Consumer's  Guide  to  Personal 
Computing  and  Microcomputers 

(Freiberger/Chew) 

You  need  no  previous  knowledge  of 
microcomputers  to  understand  and  use 
the  introductory  principles  and  products 
that  are  explained  and  reviewed. 

"56E0-X.  paper.  S7.95 

Small  Computer  Systems 
Handbook  (Libes) 

A primer  covering  the  practical  knowledge 
you  should  have  to  be  able  to  intelligently 
purchase,  assemble,  interconnect,  and 
program  the  microcomputer.  *5678-8. 
paper.  $8.45 

The  6800  Microprocessor: 

A Self-Study  Course  with 
Applications  (Leventhal) 

A self -teaching  introduction  to  the  popular 
6800  microprocessor,  containing  15 
lessons  that  emphasize  the  control 
applications  of  microcomputers. 

*5120-4,  paper.  $5.95 

APL:  An  Introduction  (Peelle) 

Teach  yourself  the  APL  language  by  using 
this  book  — with  or  without  a computer! 
Includes  many  examples  of  APL 
expressions  and  selected  exercises. 
*5122-0.  paper.  $8.50 

Hayden  Book  Company,  Inc. 

50  Essex  Street 
Rochelle  Park.  NJ  07660 


Available  at  your 
local  computer  store! 


peigonal 

computing 

books! 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  21  ,NTERFACE  AGE  33 


CATCHAPULSE II 

LOGIC  PROBE 

..... 


10  Nsec  SPIED  AT 
4 to  15V  LEVELS 
ONLY. 


$44.95 


Multi-famly 


• Open  circuit  detection 


• 10  Nsec  pulse  response 


Compatible  with  DTL.  TTl. 

CMOS.  MOS.  and  Micropraces- 
sors  using  a 4 to  15V  power 
supply  Thresholds  automatically 
^ programmed  Automatic  resetting 
memory  No  adiustment  required 
Visual  mdcation  ol  logic  levels,  using 
LEOs  to  show  high,  low,  had  level  or 
open  circuit  logic  and  pulses  Highly 
sophisticated,  shirt- pocket  portable 
(protective  tip  cap  and  removable 
cod  cord|  Eliminates  need  lor  heavy 
JVoO  test  equipment  A definite  savings 
in  t*me  af|d  money  lor  engineer 

^ aod  technician  SPECIAL  PAK-II  SJ1  95| 

3Sas»  Includes  j standard  coiled  cold,  coiled  cord 

vV^*  with  micro  hooks,  adapter  for  using  CATCH 

^ -iJi  A-PULSE  on  logic  families  whose  power 

supply  is  15V  to  25V.  Shipping  add  $2  OOper 
probe. 


• Pulse  stretching 


Replaceable  tip  S cord 


ELECTRONICS 

AVR  ELECTRONICS 
Box  19299 

San  Diego  CA  92119 
(714)  447-1770 


A Logical  Solution  to 
your  Digital  Logic 
Problems! 


*A  signal  above  the  upper  threshold  will  cause  the  HI  LEO  to  turn  on. 

•A  signal  between  upper  and  lower  threshold  will  cause  bolh  LEOs  to  turn  off 
*A  signal  befow  the  lower  threshold  will  cause  the  LO  LEO  to  turn  on. 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  4 


16K  RAMS  $15  ea. 

200  Ns  ACCESS  TIME 

ADD  TO  YOUR  APPLE,  RADIO  SHACK  OR 
HEATH  KIT 

$120  FOR  8 16K 

16K  S100  BUSS  EXPANDORAM™  TO  64K* 
$289  IN  KIT  WITH  16K  200  Ns  RAMS 

32K  $409  IN  KIT 
48K  $524  IN  KIT 
64K  $629  IN  KIT 

ASSEMBLED,  TESTED  AND  BURNED  IN  - ADD  $50 

MONEY  BACK  GUARANTEE 

8K  RAMS  AND  KITS 

16K-S239  24K-S289  32K-S339 

S55  FOR  8 8K  CHIPS 

OCTOBER  SPECIAL  SA400  FLOPPY  DISK 
$299  WITH  ANY  PURCHASE 

•32K  FOR  8K  RAMS 
(’)tM  OF  S.O.  SALES 

MASTER  CHARGE  - VISA  - COD 
Dealers  Inquiries  Welcome 
California  Residents  Add  6%  Sales  Tax 

(EOMTERraRlQ 

P.O.  BOX  242  SAN  DIMAS,  CA  91773 
(213)  286-2661 


This  month’s  INTERFACE  AGE  is  dedicated  to  hard- 
ware — how  you  might  select  your  first  computer. 
Various  articles  discuss  topics  such  as  your  objectives 
for  using  a computer  and  the  equipment  necessary  to 
meet  these  objectives. 

Planning  for  the  future  is  important  in  selecting  and 
preparing  for  a computer,  at  least  as  important  as  is 
planning  for  other  business  management  functions. 
Plans  are  the  tracks  on  which  a business  runs.  A busi- 
ness without  plans  cannot  control  its  progress  any  more 
than  can  a train  off  its  tracks. 

Plans  for  computer  selection  and  use  should  support 
and  otherwise  be  consistent  with  business  plans.  Simi- 
larly, business  plans  should  include  consideration  of  a 
computer,  what  it  will  require  of  an  organization,  and  its 
effects  on  the  organization. 

PLAN  FOR  GROWTH 

Planning  for  the  future  of  computer  use  is  almost  al- 
ways planning  for  growth.  Businesses  themselves  gen- 
erally grow,  and  the  growth  of  a business  means  growth 
in  the  power  of  the  resources,  particularly  computers, 
which  it  needs  to  operate. 

Another  factor  promoting  the  growth  of  computer  use 
is  the  frequent  discovery  of  new  and  different  additional 
ways  to  use  the  computer.  Computers  can  help  in  many 
ways,  and  success  in  one  application  provides  a good 
basis  for  natural  implementation  of  other  computer  ap- 
plications. 

Finally,  the  rapidly  increasing  capacity  and  decreas- 
ing cost  of  small  computer  hardware  and  software  are 
strong  independent  factors  supporting  increases  in 
computer  use.  The  computer  is  chosen  as  a tool  be- 
cause it  is  less  expensive  than  alternatives.  As  most 
costs  are  rising  while  computer  costs  are  falling,  com- 
puters are  becoming  the  best  solution  in  more  and  more 
applications. 

Negative  factors  influencing  growth  of  computer  use 
are  seldom  present  and  even  less  often  significant.  An 
organization  may  decrease  its  use  of  a purchased  or 
leased  computer.  However,  rarely  will  an  organization 
get  a smaller  computer  just  because  of  unused  capacity. 
The  cost  of  changing  to  less  powerful  equipment  is  gen- 
erally a greater  expense  than  the  resulting  savings. 
Similarly,  if  one  finds  that  a program  has  excess  capac- 
ity, the  most  cost-effective  solution  is  to  leave  it  unused. 
Changing  programs  in  such  circumstances  is  rather  ex- 
pensive and  rarely  results  in  useful  savings. 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  95 


OCTOBER  1978 


'I.  V«XV*N**&£| 

-jSp'SSeS' 


svSNy,^NV'l 


4&KSSE 


SupeVom 

16K  STATIC  FOR 


Introducing  SuperRam™  16K  static  memory,  the 
one  that's  leaping  tall  price  barriers  at  a single 
bound.  It  saves  you  about  $100  on  the  usual  cost  of  a 
big  16K  memory  for  your  S-100  system. 

SuperRam™  16K  is  the  latest  in  cost-efficient 
memory  designs  by  George  Morrow,  designer  of 
the  best-selling  ECONORAM*  memories. 

SuperRam1"  16K  is  configured  as  four  indepen- 
dent 4K  blocks,  each  separately  addressable  and 
write-protectable.  Designed  to  meet  the  proposed 
IEEE  Standard  for  the  S-100  bus  (see  IEEE  Computer, 
5/78),  all  signals  are  fully  buffered — including 
address  and  data  lines.  And  Morrow’s  design  uses 
just  11  chips  to  keep  the  board  uncrowded  and 
trouble-free. 

SuperRam1"  16K  comes  as  an  easily  assembled  kit, 
with  solder  mask  and  parts  legend. 


Ask  for  the  SuperRam™  16K  memory  kit  at  your 
local  computer  shop.  Or  if  unavailable  locally,  call 
your  BankAmericard/Visa  or  Master  Charge  order 
to  415-524-5317, 10-4  Pacific  Time.  Or  send  check 
or  money  order  to  Thinker  Toys™,  1201  10th  St., 
Berkeley,  CA  94710.  Add  $3  for  handling;  Cal.  res. 
add  tax. 


ECONORAM  is  a trademark  of  Godbout  Electronics 


A product  of  Morrow's  Micro-Stuff  for 


1201  10th  Street 
Berkeley,  CA  94710 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  61 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  35 


16K  RAM 

FULLY  OQCn 

STATIC  KIT  3>ODU 


10  SLOT  TABLE  TOP 
MICROCOMPUTERS 
TT-8080  KIT  $440 

SYSTEM  W/16K  & I/O 
TT-8080-S  KIT  $1050 

10-SLOT  MAIN  FRAME 
TT-10  KIT  $325 


CARD  CAGE  & 
MOTHER  BOARD 
ECT-100  KIT  $100 
CCMB-10  KIT  $75 
WITH  CONNECTORS 
& GUIDES 

ECT-100-F  KIT  $200 
CCMB-10-F  KIT  $125 


mum* 


CPU’S,  MEMORY 
MOTHER  BOARDS 
PROTOTYPING  BOARDS 
EXTENDER  CARDS 
POWER  SUPPLIES 
DEALER  INQUIRIES  INVITED  SHIPPING  EXTRA 

ELECTRONIC  CONTROL  TECHNOLOGY 

FACTORY  ADDRESS  MAILING  ADDRESS 


763  Ramsey  Avenue  P.O.  Box  6 

Hillside,  NJ  07205  Union,  NJ  07083 


(201)  686-8080 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  IS 


INTRODUCING  THE 

X-Y  PLOTTER  UNIT 


LOW  COST  • Rugged  and  Reliable  • Includes  power  supply 
and  interface  • Resolution  .01  • Completely  Assembled 


KITS  FOR  THE  DO-IT-YOURSELFER! 

Versatile  • Console  and  power  supply  available. 


11  x 17  inch  drawing  area 

$795. 

Matching  Console 

110. 

17  x 22  inch  drawing  area 

950. 

Matching  console 

130. 

Request  your  own  FREE  brochure 
OR 

OWNER’S  MANUAL $5.  (Outside  US/Canada  add  $3  Postage). 

European  inquiries  should  be  directed  to  our  overseas 
representative  dEdatE  Edl/  , Hatzfelder  Str  35.  D-5600, 
Wuppertal-2,  Germany. 

^glimnljills  IGabflralory,  inr. 

BOX  646  • PITTSBURG,  KANSAS  66762  *(316)  231-4440 


The  impracticality  of  decreasing  computer  costs  may 
be  frustrating,  but  it  is  realistic.  Perhaps  this  restriction 
would  become  more  acceptable  if  it  were  considered  as 
similar  to  the  inflexibility  of  other  semi-fixed  equipment 
costs.  Very  often,  the  rule  "what  goes  up  must  come 
down”  just  doesn’t  apply  in  practical  economics,  at 
least  for  periods  of  only  a few  years. 

Recognition  of  the  difficulty  of  cutting  costs  may  pro- 
mote skimping  on  initial  computer  investments.  This,  of 
course,  is  as  unwise  as  splurging.  The  proper  solution  is 
to  plan  for  needs  and  opportunities  and  to  plan  the  most 
cost-effective  method  of  meeting  these  needs  and  bene- 
fiting from  these  opportunities. 


. . .needed  increases  in  capacity 
can  be. . .relatively  simple  software 
changes. . .such  capacity  changes 
need  not  be. . .considered  in 
planning.  However,  some  capacity 
increases  will  be  very  expensive. . . 
to  identify  these  is  important. 


THREE  GENERAL  CONSIDERATIONS 

Planning  is  generally  the  consideration  of  change  — 
how  to  cause  and  respond  to  changes.  Three  categories 
of  change  may  affect  computer  use.  The  answer  to  three 
corresponding  questions  can  provide  a good  basis  for 
planning  the  future  of  a computer  in  a business. 

1.  If  the  environment  in  which  the  computer  is  used 
doesn’t  change,  how  will  the  business’  use  of  com- 
puters increase  in  the  future?  Most  often,  these 
new  uses  will  result  from  computerizing  the  more 
obvious  present  business  functions. 

2.  Change  from  conditions  unrelated  to  computer  use 
is  likely  in  the  computer’s  business  environment; 
products,  competition,  marketing  efforts  all  change. 
How  will  these  changes  affect  the  organization, 
particularly  the  ways  it  will  want  to  use  computers? 

3.  How  should  computers  be  used  to  change  the 
computer’s  business  environment?  For  example, 
in  a distribution  function  a computer  might  be 
selected  as  an  order  entry  tool,  allowing  better 
entry  of  orders  and  convincing  the  company  to 
aggressively  seek  small  orders  which  were  previ- 
ously unprofitable.  Or  a computer  might  allow  com- 
puter-supported, exceptionally  quick  service  be 
the  basis  for  its  advertised  marketing  image. 

REASONS  FOR  CAPACITY  INCREASES 

The  need  for  increases  in  installed  computer  capacity 
can  result  from  several  types  of  factors  specifically 
related  to  how  computers  are  used.  Following  are  the 
most  common. 

First  is  the  need  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  basic 
functions  which  the  computer  is  performing.  Examples 
might  be  a business  adding  products  or  departments, 
thus  exceeding  the  number  of  products  or  departments 
which  the  computer  hardware  and/or  software  could 
handle.  In  other  cases,  there  may  be  limits  on  the  number 
of  orders,  customers  or  employees  which  can  be  handled. 

Often  such  needed  increases  in  capacity  can  be  ac- 
complished by  relatively  simple  software  changes. 
Therefore,  most  such  capacity  changes  need  not  be  spe- 
cifically considered  in  planning.  However,  some  capac- 
ity increases  will  be  very  expensive  to  implement,  and 
planning  to  identify  these  is  important. 


36  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  57 


OCTOBER  1978 


SELECTRA-TERM 


Mates  with  TRS-80 


Turn  your  TRS-80  into 


a complete  word  processing  system. 

Just  hook  up  the  cables  and  connectors  supplied 


Discounts  Available  to 
EDUCATIONAL  ACCOUNTS 

Contact  Dolores  Sun 
P.  0.  Box  8394  "Ann  Arbor,  Ml  481 05 
(313)  665-8514 


with  your  SELECTRA-TERM  and  you're  ready  to  run. 
Input  your  text  and  type  the  single  command:  LPRINT. 
The  SELECTRA-TERM  automatically  outputs  clear, 
clean  high  fidelity  copy 
Incredibly  simple! 

Brand  new.  $1925* 

Fully  assembled  and  tested. 

Delivery  five  weeks. 

Many  options  available. 

*115  VAC,  60  Hz  Model. 

Direct  international  sales  inquiries  to 

International  Sales  Division 
17648  Orna  Drive 
Granada  Hills,  CA  91344  USA 


SELECTRA-TERM  can  also  be  connected 
to  the  parallel  port  of  PET  ■ Apple  II  ■ 
Heath  H8  ■ IMSAI  ■ Cromemco  ■ Alpha 

Microsystems  ■ Space  Byte  ■ North  Star 
Horizon  * SWTP  ■ Vector  Graphic  • Sol  « 


COMPARE  THIS 
DOT  MATRIX  OUTPUT 

with  the 

SELECTRA-TERM  high 
fidelity  impact 


micro 

computer 

devices 


960  E.  Orangethorpe,  Bldg.  F | — i ^ 

Anaheim,  California  92801 
Telephone  (714)  992-2270 

trs-80  is  a product  of  Radio  shack  "Innovators  to  the  Microcomputer  Industry 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  N0.28 


INTERFACE  AGE  37 


MICRODESIGN 

+ 


I mitfocompuler  product* 


16K  EPROM/RAM 

VERSATILITY  • Individual  Addressing  • Shadow  alternates  ROM  with  RAM  • External 
RAM  disable  • Optional  IK  on  board  RAM  • S100  compatible  • Power-on  |ump  or 
bootstrap  capability  • All  sockets  included 

MR  8 KIT  For  2708  99.50 

MR  16  T KIT FOR  TMS  2716  99.50 

EPROM  (shown)  not  included 

FIRMWARE  • 2K  Monitor/Utility  • Supports  Tarbell  cassette,  paper  tape  • Row 
available  tor  SIO.  MlO.  3P-S.  SI0  2 

MM  2K (two  2708  type  EPROMS)  79,50 

MM  2 T (one  TMS  2716  EPROM)  74.50 

EPROMS  • Prime,  lull  specification  • programming  available 

2708  type  1024  x 8 30.00 

TMS  2716  2048x8  55.00 

MICRODESIGN 

679-1  S.  State  College  Blvd.,  Fullerton  CA  92631 

(714)  738-8080  circle  inquiry  no.  29 


TERMINALS  FROM  TRANSNET 


PURCHASE 

12-24  MONTH  FULL  OWNERSHIP  PLAN 
36  MONTH  LEASE  PLAN 


PURCHASE 

PER  MONTH 

DESCRIPTION 

PRICE 

12  M0S 

24  M0S 

36M0S 

DECwriter  II  

$1,495 

$145 

$ 75 

$ 52 

DECwriter  III 

2,695 

257 

137 

95 

DECprinter  1 

1,795 

172 

92 

63 

VT52  DECscope 

1,695 

162 

85 

59 

VT100  DECscope  

1,695 

162 

85 

59 

VT55  DECgraphic  CRT 

2,395 

229 

122 

84 

ADM  3A  CRT 

875 

84 

45 

30 

HAZELTINE  1400  CRT. 

845 

81 

43 

30 

HAZELTINE  1500  CRT. 

1,195 

115 

61 

42 

Tl  745  Portable 

1,875 

175 

94 

65 

Tl  765  Bubble  Mem 

2,995 

285 

152 

99 

Tl  810  RO  Printer 

1,895 

181 

97 

66 

Tl  820  KSR  Terminal  . . 

2,395 

229 

122 

84 

Data  Products  2230  . . . 

7,900 

725 

395 

275 

QUME,  Ltr.  Qual.  KSR  . 

3,195 

306 

163 

112 

QUME,  Ltr.  Qual.  RO  . . 

2,795 

268 

143 

98 

DATAMATE  Mini  floppy 

1,750 

167 

89 

61 

FULL  OWNERSHIP  AFTER  12  OR  24  MONTHS 
10%  PURCHASE  OPTION  AFTER  36  MONTHS 


ACCESSORIES  AND  PERIPHERAL  EQUIPMENT 

ACOUSTIC  COUPLERS  • MODEMS  • THERMAL  PAPER 
RIBBONS  • INTERFACE  MODULES  • FLOPPY  DISK  UNITS 


PROMPT  DELIVERY  • EFFICIENT  SERVICE 


IransNet  Corpora  tio\ 

2005  ROUTE  22,  UNION,  N.J.  07083 

201-688-7800 


Another  reason  for  capacity  increase  is  the  need  or 
desire  to  use  a commercially  available  software  product. 
Acquiring  already  programmed  software  is  often  much 
less  expensive  than  writing  one’s  own.  However,  the 
software  which  someone  else  has  written  generally  is 
for  a computer  with  features  and  accessories  at  least  a 
little  different  than  yours.  Therefore,  you  must  add  the 
features  the  software  needs  that  you  don’t  have. 

One  may  also  feel  that  the  computer,  or  a part  of  it,  is 
too  slow.  This  reason  is  often  more  emotional  than  ra- 
tional because  there  are  many  ways  to  compensate  for 
slow  computers,  ways  that  often  are  much  less  expen- 
sive than  increasing  capacity.  Frequently,  the  slowness 
is  no  real  problem  at  all.  In  any  case,  planning  can  help 
one  anticipate  the  conditions  calling  for  speed  in- 
creases as  well  as  the  time  when  the  need  for  computer 
growth  may  occur. 

A more  important  reason  for  increasing  capacity  is 
the  need  or  desire  to  do  more  with  one’s  computer.  Hav- 
ing the  computer  automatically  handle  more  of  the 
manual  exceptions  required  in  a computerized  system 
is  obviously  advantageous,  but  this  type  of  increase 
often  requires  surprising  amounts  of  resources.  Allow- 
ing more  flexibility  and  more  ways  to  use  existing  pro- 
grams is  a similar  reason  for  capacity  increase.  These 
last  two  are  especially  significant  to  consider  when 
planning  because  they  commonly  result  from  neglect- 
ing to  include  features  in  early  programs  which  were  ini- 
tially considered  unnecessary,  but  which  users  later 
decide  they  “can’t  live  without”. 

Consideration  of  these  preceeding  reasons  can  be  a 
worthwhile  part  of  computer  planning  and  yield  good 
results. 

WAYS  COMPUTERS  GROW 

What  effect  on  a computer  does  the  need  to  grow 
have?  One  way  a computer  grows  is  by  adding  more  mem- 
ory capacity.  More  memory  will  allow  larger,  more  power- 
ful programs  as  well  as  the  ability  to  handle  more  data 
such  as  a larger  number  of  customers  or  employees. 
Memory  capacity  can  be  in  RAM  or  magnetic  media  such 
as  floppy  disks,  cassettes,  or  tape  cartridges. 

Adding  the  needed  amount  of  memory  can  range  from 
easy  and  inexpensive  to  impossible.  Often  a certain 
amount  of  memory  can  be  added  relatively  easily.  How- 
ever, once  the  normal  memory  size  limit  of  a particular 
computer  has  been  reached,  further  increases  are  un- 
usually much  more  expensive.  Determining  and  consid- 
ering the  practical  limitations  of  the  computer  under 
consideration  can  be  an  important  basis  for  planning. 

The  other  major  way  of  increasing  computer  hardware 
capacity  is  by  adding  peripheral  components.  Some- 
times the  added  peripherals  can  be  replacements,  per- 
haps to  increase  speed.  Often  they  provide  totally  new 
functions.  Will  you  want  to  add  voice  input  or  output  cap- 
ability to  your  computer?  Will  you  want  to  add  on-line 
controllers,  perhaps  so  your  computer  can  turn  on  or  off 
a motor?  If  so,  you  can  benefit  from  choosing  a compu- 
ter to  which  such  capability  can  be  added  with  reason- 
able ease  and  expense. 

PLAN  FOR  LEARNING 

Computer  planning  is  harder  than  most  types  of  plan- 
ning, for  two  reasons.  First,  the  basic  technology  of 
computers  is  changing  so  rapidly  that  detailed  long 
range  plans  are  totally  unrealistic.  The  second  reason  is 
the  great  and  unimaginable  effect  that  computers  can 
have  on  your  business. 

But  planning  is  still  possible  and  vital.  A basic  premise 
for  the  prospective  new  user’s  planning  is  that  the  first 
computer  will  be  largely  a learning  experience.  True,  one 


38  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  63 


OCTOBER  1978 


Powerful  Capabilities 

The  only  full  size  dual  diskette 
system  configured  especially  for  the 
Heathkit  H8  Computer  is  now  avail- 
able for  immediate  connection.  The 
INFO  2000  Disk  System  is  the  best 
performer  for  any  microcomputer: 
it's  incredibly  fast,  it  uses  full  8" 
diskettes,  and  it  gives  you  immediate 
Z80  capability.  The  recording  format 
is  standard  IBM  3740.  So  you’re  as- 
sured maximum  storage  capacity,  sup- 
erior error  protection,  and  full  inter- 
changeability with  other  CP/M*  based 
systems. 

Simple  Connection 

The  Disk  Adapter  Board  supplied 
with  the  INFO  2000  Disk  System  con- 
tains its  own  Z80  microprocessor.  Just 
swap  this  board  with  the  8080  that 
came  with  your  H8  and  you’ll  have  in- 
stantly upgraded  to  a Z80  microcom- 
puter. The  Z80  instruction  set  includes 
158 — more  than  twice  as  many  as  the 


We're  Serious 

The  H8  is  a good  beginning.  But 
why  stop  there.  Go  for  the  best.  With 
this  combination  of  low  cost  computer 
and  a powerful  disk  system,  you  can 
now  perform  a tremendous  range  of 
tasks.  Use  your  H8  as  a sophisticated 
business  system  and  a powerful  design 
and  development  tool. 

If  you’re  serious. 

Delivered  assembled  and  factory- 
tested,  the  complete  disk  system  in- 
cludes dual  diskette  drives,  Z80/Disk 
Adapter  Board,  power  supply,  cabinet, 
cables,  and  CP/M  disk  operating  sys- 
tem. Full  price  $2950.  Available  for 
immediately  delivery. 

*CP/M  is  a trademark  of  Digital  Research 

IMF0  2000 

CORPORATION 

20630  South  Leapwood  Avenue 

Carson,  California  90746 
(213)532-1702 


Z80  instructions  feature  power- 
ful block  transfer,  block  search,  block 
I/O  instructions,  relative  addressing, 
bit  manipulation,  index  registers  and 
greatly  enhanced  interrupt  processing. 
All  you  need  to  do  is  plug  in  the  adap- 
ter board,  cables  and  AC  power,  and 
you're  ready  to  run. 


Hassle-Free  Operation 

Designed  just  for  the  H8,  the 
INFO  2000  Z80/Disk  Adapter  Board 
includes  an  EPROM  containing 
PAM-Z.  This  is  a Z80-oriented  panel 
monitor  which  permits  the  H8  front 
panel  to  operate  in  both  hexadecimal 
and  octal  modes.  A CP/M  disk  operat- 
ing system  is  included  which  enables 
you  to  use  Disk  BASIC,  FORTRAN, 
COBOL,  PASCAL  and  hundreds  of 
applications  programs.  Plus,  you  can 
still  utilize  all  Benton  Harbor  software. 
The  flick  of  a switch  gives  you  either 
software  mode  . . . instantly!  You 
should  have  a minimum  of  16K  RAM, 
and  to  take  full  advantage  of  all  the 
software  you  can  implement,  32K  is 
recommended.  You'll  also  need  the 
standard  Heath  serial  board  and  a 
terminal  for  a full  system. 


Heathkit  H8  Owners: 

SERIOUS? 


upgrade  your  H8 
to  a Z80  with  the 
DISK  SYSTEM 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  23 


INTERFACE  AGE  39 


PRINTED  CIRCUIT  KITS 
MAKE  CARDS  QUICKLY 


ONLY  Vector  kits  contain: 

• Positive  photo-resist  coated  AND  uncoated  copper  laminate-no 
messy  photo-reversal— no  spraying,  dipping,  or  baking. 

• 4 types  of  art  aids:  rub  transfers,  ink,  tape,  cut  and  peel-use  1 or  all. 

• 1:1  circuit  art  rub  transfers-IC  sets,  pads,  lines,  connectors, 
symbols,  letters,  and  numbers. 

• Everything  included-just  add  water  and  sunlamp  or  bright  sunshine. 

• Liquid  etchant  and  developer-no  dry  chemical  mixing  problems. 


• Process  choices-make  circuit  on  copper  and  etch  for  1 card. 
Make  circuit  on  film,  expose,  develop  and  etch  for  1 or  many  cards. 


ART 

AIDS 


sunlamp 

+ mylar  l i i [ i developer  = , or  many  Pc., 

film  r J^f  f I & etchant  — 

_j_  card  etchant  S I PC 


32XA-1  kit  makes 7 PC  cards,  $28.00,  32X-1  starter  kit  makes  2 cards,  $1 1 .50 

Prices  suoiect  to  change  without  notice. 

SIOI77 

Vector  Electronic  Co..  12460  Gladstone  Av.,  Sylmar,  CA  91 342 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  65 


should  expect  useful  results  of  direct  benefit  to  one's 
business,  and  proper  planning  will  ensure  such  benefits. 
However,  a computer  is  so  different  a tool  and  will  have 
such  unanticipated  effects  on  your  organization,  the  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  try  one  and  then  make  fairly  specific  fu- 
ture plans  based  on  the  results  of  your  early  experience. 

CAVEATS 

1.  When  considering  a computer  system,  ask  the 
vendor  about  the  availability  and  cost  of  expansion 
features  you  may  need.  Also  try  to  evaluate 
whether  such  features  may  be  unavailable  when 
you  need  them,  perhaps  because  the  manufacturer 
is  no  longer  in  business  or  because  he  has  dropped 
the  feature  from  his  product  line. 

2.  Generally,  a doubling  of  the  power  of  an  installed 
computer  is  a reasonable  plan.  Greater  increases 
are  often  best  accomplished  by  changing  to  a lar- 
ger computer.  As  with  any  other  type  of  machine,  a 
computer  to  which  too  many  accessories  have 
been  added  becomes  unwieldy  and  awkward. 

3.  As  is  now  obvious,  don’t  buy  the  top-of-the-line,  a 
computer  which  can’t  be  expanded,  unless  you 
can  confidently  assume  there  will  be  no  need  to  in- 
crease capability. 

4.  Plan  ahead,  but  not  too  far.  About  three  years  is 
often  a reasonable  time  period:  not  so  far  that  con- 
ditions are  unforeseeable,  but  long  enough  to  al- 
low the  first  computer  to  be  learned  from  and  pro- 
per planning  to  be  done  for  a second  system. 

5.  Many  component  manufacturers  and  equipment 
vendors  will  expand  their  product  lines  in  the  fu- 
ture and  thus  allow  the  owner  of  a computer  to  up- 
grade his  system  more  than  is  possible  today. 
However,  the  buyer  who  bases  his  plan  on  any  fu- 
ture additions  to  product  lines  is  gambling. □ 


. . . sells  TEXAS  INSTRUMENTS  Terminals 

and  Printers  and  LEAR  SIEGLER  CRTs  by  the 
thousands! 


NOW  ONE  OF  THE  NATION’S 
LARGEST  DISTRIBUTORS  WILL  SELL 
DIRECT  TO  YOU  AT  DISTRIBUTOR  PRICES. 
ANY  QUANTITY! 

GUARANTEED  DELIVERY  WITHIN  90  DAYS! 
FACTORY  WARRANTY  AND  MAINTENANCE! 


CALL  TOLL  FREE  800-325-8252 


1000  LAKE  SAINT  LOUIS  BLVD. 
LAKE  SAINT  LOUIS.  MO.  63367 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  13 


40  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


MicroPro 

International 

Corporation^ 


an  affiliate  of  Prodata  International  Corporation  established  1968 

professional  quality  you  can  count  on! 

proudly  announces 


SUPER-SORT® 

The  ultimate  in  high  performance 
sort/merge 

Specifications 

□ High  Performance  Tournament/Heapsort  Algorithm 

□ Multiple  Input  Files  Read  in  Parallel  for  True  Merge 
Operation. 

□ Dynamically  Invokable  User  Exit  Routines 

□ Record  Selection  via  SELECT/EXCLUDE  Statements 

□ Handles  Fixed  and  Variable  Length  Records 

□ Handles  Fixed  and  Variable  Length  Fields 

□ Handles  up  to  16  Sort  Keys  with  Intermixed  Sequence 
Indicators  and  Data  Types 

□ Handles  Alternate  Collating  Sequences 

□ Compatible  with  CP/M'  and  any  Derivative  Including 
ADOS,  IMDOS,  CDOS,  etc. 

□ 8080/808 5/Z-80  Compatible 

□ Specialized  Optimizations  for  Floppy  Disk  Environment 

□ Keyword  Command  Input  For  Easy  Operator  Entry 

□ Benchmarked  at  Over  560  Records  per  Minute! 

□ invokable  as  a Subroutine  from  FORTRAN,  COBOL 
and  Assembler 

□ Furnished  in  Relocatable  and  Executable  Form  for 
Easy  Load-Address  Definition 

□Optional  TACSORT  Operation 

□ Data  Types  Include  ASCII,  EBCDIC,  Binary,  BCD 
(COBOL  packed  Decimal),  etc. 

□ Supports  CP/M-compatible  Diskette  Files  under 
BASIC,  FORTRAN,  COBOL  and  Assembler 

Price  $250 ‘ * includes  manual  and  single  density 
diskette  Manual  only  $9.00  refundable  with  purchase 


WORD-MASTER® 

The  last  word  in  text  editing 

Specifications 

□ Compatible  with  any  “dumb’'  CRT  possessing  ad- 
dressable cursor  and  backspace  (includes  Hazeltine  - 
all  models,  SOROC,  Lear  Siegler,  IMSAI-VIOC,  ADDS 
Regent,  etc.) 

□ Bi-directional  word  tab,  line  tab,  screen  tab 

□ Bi-directional  word  delete,  line  delete  and  character 
delete 

□ Quad-directional  cursor  movements 

□ Mid-line  insert  and  delete 

□ Automatic  RAM/Diskette  buffering  with  no  user 
intervention 

□ Nested  command  looping  with  conditional  execution 

□ Clobal  String  search.  Global  String  Replace 

□ Queue  Buffer  for  text  movement,  global  replication, 
and  string  command  storage 

□ Multiple  input  file  merging  with  user-controlled 
insertions 

□ Multiple  output  file  control  by  section  under  user 
control 

Price  $150"  includes  manual  and  single  density 

diskette.  Manual  only  $9.00  refundable  with  purchase. 


* CP/M  is  a trademark  of  Digital  Research 
*•  Prices  and  Specifications  subject  to  change  without  notice 
1978.  MicroPro  International  Corporation  All  rights  reserved 


Dealer  Inquiries  Invited:  Call  (Northern  California)  (707)  544-2865,  (415)  398-7062,  (209)  445-0511,  (408)  279-8980,  (916)  485- 
7619  (Southern  California)  (213)  224-1619,  (714)  634-2908.  Outside  California  Call  Collect  (707)  544-2865.  Principal  offices 
located  at  5810  Commerce  Blvd.,  Rohnert  Park,  CA  94928 


INTERFACE  AGE  41 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO. 33 


PUZZLED  ABOUT  COMPUTERS? 

Data  Dynamics  Technology  has  a library  of  answers. . . 


JJW1AKT 


">  - 

a as  as 

Game  Playing  with  BASIC 

By  Donald  D.  Spencer.  166  pages,  $6.95 

Order  No.  HA  Y5 109-3,  paper 


Basic  BASIC:  An  Introduction  to  Computer 
Programming  in  BASIC  Language -2nd  Edition 
By  James  S.  Coan.  288  pages,  $8.95 
Order  No.  HA  Y5 106-9,  paper 
Your  Home  Computer 
By  James  White.  200  pages,  $6.00 
Order  No.  DMX05-1,  paper 
Instant  BASIC 

By  Jerald  R.  Brown.  180  pages,  $6.00 
Order  No.  DMX04-3,  paper 
Computer  Programming 
By  Brice  Ward.  309  pages,  $7.95 
Order  No.  TB574,  paper 

8080  Machine  Language  Programming 
for  Beginners 

By  Ron  Santore.  104  pages,  $6.95 
Order  No.  DPI 4-2,  paper. 

Build  Your  Own  Working  Robot 
By  David  L.  Heiserman.  234  pages,  $5.95 
Order  No.  TB341,  paper 
Miniprocessors:  From  Calculators  to 
Computers 

By  David  L.  Heiserman.  195  pages,  $5.95 
Order  No.  TB971,  paper 
Minicomputers:  Structure  and  Programming 
By  T.G.  Lewis  and  J.W.  Doerr.  282  pages,  $1 3.95 
Order  No.  HAY5642-7,  cloth. 

Advanced  BASIC 

By  James  S.  Coan.  192  pages,  $7.95 
Order  No.  HA  Y5855- 1,  paper. 

Getting  Involved  with  Your  Own  Computer: 

A Guide  for  Beginners 

By  Leslie  Solomon  and  Stanley  Veit 

216  pages,  $5.95 

Order  No.  RID004-8,  paper 


. . .And  More! 


INTERFACE  AGE  Binders  and 


Slip  Cases 

Data  Dynamics  Technology  19  now  offering 
deluxe  binders  and  slip  cases  which  will  place 
each  back  issue  of  INTERFACE  AGE  at  your 
fingertips.  Each  binder  and  slip  case  is  con- 
structed of  a handsome  blue  vinyl  with  INTER- 
FACE AGE  stamped  In  gold  foil  on  the  front 
cover  and  spine.  These  rugged  binders  and  slip 
cases  can  hold  12  Issues  each  and  will  protect 
your  back  issues  of  INTERFACE  AGE  for  years. 


TYCHON’s  8080  Octal  and 
Hex  Code  Cards 

The  code  cards  are  a sliderule-like  aid  for  pro- 
gramming and  debugging  8080  software.  Both 
cards  contain  all  the  standard  mnemonics  and 
either  their  corresponding  octal  or  hex  codes. 
The  pocket  size  cards  are  6.5  by  3 inches  (16  by 
8 cm)  with  color-coded  instructions  to  provide 
a neat,  logical  format  for  quick  reference.  The 
back  of  both  cards  Is  printed  with  an  ASCII 
code  chart  for  all  128  characters  plus  the 
SOSO's  status  word  and  register  pair  codes. 


Microcomputers  At  A Glance 
By  Donald  D.  Spencer.  1 92  pages,  $7.95 
Order  No.  CAM021-8,  paper 
An  Introduction  to  Microcomputers: 

Volume  1,  Basic  Concepts 
By  Adam  Osborne.  282  pages,  $8.50 
Order  No.  OSB2001,  paper. 

An  Introduction  to  Microcomputers: 

Volume  2,  Some  Real  Products 
By  Adam  Osborne.  868  pages,  $15.00 
Order  No.  OSB3001A,paper 
An  Introduction  to  Microcomputers: 
Volume  0,  The  Beginner's  Book 
By  Adam  Osborne.  226  pages.  $7.95 
Order  No.  OSB6001,  paper 
Accent  on  BASIC 

By  Donald  0.  Spencer.  104  pages,  $5.95 
Order  No.  CAM003-X,  paper. 

How  to  Plan  and  Install  Electronic 
Burglar  Alarms 

By  Howard  Blerman.  1 20  pages,  $4.95 
Order  No.  HA  Y5734-2,  paper 
The  BASIC  Workbook 

By  Kenneth  E.  Schoman,  Jr.  120  pages,  $4.25 
Order  No.  HAY5104-2,  paper 
A Quick  Look  At  BASIC 
By  Donald  D.  Spencer.  64  pages,  $4.95 

Order  No.  CAM015-3.  paper 


DATA  DYNAMICS  TECHNOLOGY  P.O.  Box  1217,  Cerritos,  CA  90701 

Name(Print) 

Address 

City  State Zip 


Please  send  me: 


Description  Qty  Price 

Total 

Book  Order# 

Qty 

Price  Total 

Binders 

7.50 

Slip  Cases 

5.95 

Hex  Code  Cards 

2.95 

Octal  Code  Cards 

2.95 

Shipping  & Handling  Charges  TOTAL  ORDER  $ 

Binders  and  Slip  Cases$150  ea.  U.S.,  $2.00  ea.  Foreign  'TAX  S 

Code  Cards  $ .50  ea.  U.S..  $ .75  ea.  Foreign  SHIPPING  ft  HANDLING  S 

Books  S .75  ea.  U.S..  $1 .50  ea.  Foreign  TOTAL  ENCLOSED  $ 

□ Visa  i □ M/C  # □ Check  or  M.O.(U.S.  Funds  drawn  on  U.S.  bank) 

Exp.  Date Signature  

'California  residents  add  6%  salos  tax.  Availability  and  prices  quoted  sub|ect  to  change  without  notice. 

Please  allow  six  weeks  for  delivery.  You  may  photocopy  this  pago  If  you  wish  to  keep  your  INTERFACE  AGE  intact. 
Orders  cannot  be  shipped  unloss  sccompsnied  by  psyment,  Including  shipping  & handling  and  tax  where  applicable. 

DATA  DYNAMICS  TECHNOLOGY,  A Division  of  INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine  (213)926-9544 


42  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


THE 

WIND 

MVHUmN 


By  Merl  Miller 


Last  month  we  started  a commentary  on  robot  history 
that  ended  with  the  Hopkins  Beast.  If  you  haven’t  read 
last  month’s  column  yet,  you  may  want  to  now.  This 
month  I would  like  to  continue  the  discussion. 

As  a result  of  the  atomic  energy  research  carried  on  in 
the  1950's,  elaborate  mechanical  arms  were  developed 
to  handle  radioactive  materials.  They  were  usually  con- 
trolled by  an  operator  who  was  behind  a glass  shield, 
some  distance  from  the  radioactive  material.  As  the 
research  in  this  area  progressed,  the  arms  became  in- 
creasingly more  sophisticated  so  that  by  the  early  60’s 
they  could  be  controlled  remotely  by  a closed  circuit 
television  system. 

A great  number  of  computer  scientists  began  to 
wonder  if  these  arms  could  be  controlled  by  a computer. 
Henry  Earnst  of  MIT  was  one  of  the  few  computer  scien- 
tists able  to  obtain  one  of  these  mechanical  arm  devices. 
He  first  discovered  that  the  arms  were  quite  agile.  They 
could  easily  perform  fairly  complicated  functions  such 
as  screwing  in  a light  bulb  or  striking  a match,  but  only  if 
the  person  operating  the  machine  had  his  eyes  open.  If 
the  operator  tried  to  control  the  arms  with  closed  eyes, 
little  could  be  accomplished.  This  meant  that  if  a com- 
puter were  linked  to  the  machine,  it  would  have  to  have 


some  ’’seeing"  capability.  This  was  a formidable  task. 
At  this  time  the  Hopkins  Beast  was  the  most  advanced 
"seeing"  robot,  and  all  it  could  do  was  "see”  an  elec- 
trical outlet  under  certain  conditions.  In  addition,  pat- 
tern recognition  was  in  its  infancy. 

Dr.  Earnst  couldn’t  teach  his  computer  to  see  so  he 
taught  it  to  "feel".  He  devised  a series  of  sensors  that 
enabled  the  arm  to  feed  information  back  to  the  computer. 
Every  joint  had  pressure  pads  that  sensed  when  the  arm 
touched  something,  and  a series  of  photoelectric  cells 
helped  it  distinguish  light  objects  from  dark  objects. 
Even  with  these  aids,  it  could  still  only  fumble  a bit.  Its 
most  significant  accomplishment  was  a table  clearing 
routine.  The  arm  would  systematically  sweep  back  and 
forth  across  the  table  until  it  bumped  into  something. 
When  this  happened  it  would  try  to  pick  up  the  object, 
carry  it  to  the  edge  of  the  table  and  drop  it  into  a bin. 

Dr.  Earnst’s  studies  showed  that  although  a computer 
could  learn  to  interact  with  its  environment,  it  needed  a 
mechanical  device  specifically  designed  for  computers. 
It  seemed  unfeasible  to  adapt  a computer  to  an  already 
existing  machine.  Consequently,  in  the  years  following 
the  development  of  Earnst’s  machine,  scientists  began 
putting  together  complete  robot  systems  that  weren’t 
dependent  on  man  being  in  the  loop. 


ADDRESS  YOUR  PROBLEMS 


SSG  has  a Name  and  Address  Record  Selection 
System  that  can  make  any  8080  or  Z-80  micro- 
computer running  with  CP/M* 

and  CBASIC  into  a small- 
business  problem-solver. 


Our  NAD"*  Name  and  Ad- 
dress system  can  print  sheets 
of  adhesive  labels— or  reports 
— of  any  part  of  your  customer 
or  member  lists.  Select  your 
mailing  or  report  group  by 
last  initial,  zip  code,  street  or 
town,  or  any  other  whole  or  partial  field  in  your  data 
base  Or  use  the  "hidden  code"  of  user-specified 


/tructured  /y/tem  / Group 
Incorporated 
5615  KALES  AVENUE 
OAKLAND,  CALIFORNIA  94618 
(415)  547-1567 


qualifying  information  provided  for  each  file  to 
select  only  the  doctors,  apartment-dwellers,  4-door 

^ station  wagon  owners,  and 

so  on. 

NAD1*  is  completely  interactive 
and  self-teaching.  It  requests 
data  in  sequence  and  reports 
entry  errors  back  to  the  opera- 
tor. So  anyone  in  your  company 
can  use  NAD’”  effectively. 


In  fact,  our  new  enhancement 

of  NAD"*  is  so  full  of  sophisti- 
cated features,  you’ll  want  to  mail  the  coupon  on 
the  reverse  side  of  this  ad  today. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AQE  43 


In  addition  to  Dr.  Earnst,  the  most  interesting  of  the 
modern-day  robotic  pioneers  is  Dr.  Meredith  Thring, 
head  of  the  Department  of  Mechanical  Engineering  at 
Queen  Mary  College,  London.  By  clever  mechanical  de- 
sign he  has  developed  simple,  automatic  hands  that  can 
pick  up  a great  range  of  objects  including  pencils  and 
teacups.  He  has  also  designed  a group  of  small  vehicles 
that  can  safely  travel  over  level  or  irregular  terrain  or 
carry  a seated  person  up  and  down  stairs.  One  machine 
can  clear  a dinner  table.  Another  is  quite  an  amateur 
“fireman".  Its  heat-seeking  device  searches  for  heat, 
and  when  it  finds  a fire,  the  machine  extinguishes  it. 

Much  of  Professor  Thring's  work  is  aimed  at  tele- 
operator-type devices  that  are  designed  as  prosthetics. 
His  other  devices,  such  as  the  mobile  fire  extinguisher, 
are  special  purpose  machines  with  no  flexibility  in  their 
logic.  If  you  could  combine  the  logical  flexibility  of  a 
large,  general  purpose  computer  with  one  of  Professor 
Thring’s  machines,  you’d  have  the  first  general  purpose 
robot.  Now  that  16-bit  microprocessors  are  available, 
this  day  may  not  be  far  off. 


I have  another  thought  to  share  with  you.  Dave  Morris 
is  a computer,  electronics  and  robotics  hobbyist  in 
Dallas,  Texas.  He  has  a couple  years  of  college  and 
would  someday  like  to  get  a B.S.  in  computer  science. 

I had  a very  interesting  conversation  with  Dave  when  I 
called  regarding  a letter  he  wrote  to  Carl  Warren.  The  let- 
ter concerned  my  July  column.  What  follows  is  an  adap- 
tation of  his  letter  and  our  conversation,  interspersed 
with  some  of  my  comments: 

"What  if  we  designed  a robot  that  could  drive 
your  car?”  That  is  the  question  I posed  in  the  July 
column.  The  first  real  problem  is  how  the  system 
differentiates.  It  will  need  to  recognize  a traffic 
light  in  the  midst  of  thousands  of  flashing  neon 
signs,  taillights,  headlights,  turn  signals,  street 
lights,  store  illuminations,  light  reflections  and  all 
the  other  hundreds  of  confusing  light  sources 
found  on  a typical  city  street  at  night. 

The  system  would  also  need  to  estimate  human 
behavior.  For  example,  it  would  have  to  decide 
whether  or  not  a car  racing  toward  your  intersec- 
tion from  a side  street  is  going  to  stop  in  time.  The 
system  will  have  to  look  ahead  far  enough  to  tell 


that  the  weaving  car  in  front  of  you  is,  in  fact,  not 
avoiding  traffic  but  doing  so  because  the  driver  is 
drunk. 

Will  the  system  slam  on  the  brakes  in  the  event 
of  emergency  or  slow  for  a tumbleweed,  paper 
boxes,  dogs  or  children?  And  how  will  we  program 
it  to  know  the  difference? 

These  are  all  interesting  questions  and  point  to  the 
necessity  of  thinking  through  all  projects.lll 


1 


"We'll  go  into  mass  production  and  make  a fortune." 


VERY  DIRECT  MAIL 


If  your  business  is  using  an  8080  or  Z-80  micro- 
processor running  with  CP/M"  and  CBASIC,  SSG’s 
NADT“  name  and  address  system  and  QSORT" 
sort/merge  software  are  precisely  the  tools  you 
need  to  sort  out  your  mailina  problems. 

The  SSG  Name  and  Address  Record  Selection 
System  generates  adhesive  labels  or  reports  from 
your  customer  payroll,  membership  and  other  lists. 
QSORF"  software  allows  you  to  handle  sophis- 
ticated multi-key  sorting  for  list-making  projects 
on  a single  diskette. 

Together,  they  make  direct  mail  and  other  listing 
projects  a snap.  Just  mail  the  coupon  today  for 
brochures  or  ordering. 

CP/M ' is  a trademark  of  Digital  Research 

NAD"  and  QSORT"  are  trademarks  ot  Structured  Systems  Group 


□ Please  wind  me  the  tree  brochure  on  NAD" 

ID  Please  send  me  Ihe  tree  brochure  on  OSORT". 

□ Enclosed  please  Imd  my  check  lor  NAO"  on  rdekelteand documen- 
tation *79  (Cal  res  add  tax)  , 

O Enclosed  please  Imd  my  check  lor  OSORT*on  8"  diskette  with  documen- 
| tenon  *95  (Cal  res  add  tea) 

I O Enclosed  please  Imd  my  check  lor  CBASIC  - *99  95  (Cal  res  add  laa) 
□ Please  charge  my  order  lo  my  BwikAmencard  « 

MastorCharge  s 


NAME  ^ 


ADORESSw3fl§cL 

CITY 

. STATE 

7IP 

MAINFRAME 

_ DISKDRIVE 

TYPE  OF  BUSINESS 

I /tructured  /y/tem/  Group  Incorporated  i 

I 5208  CLAREMONT  AVENUE 
^ OAKLAND,  CALIFORNIA  94618  (415)  547-1567 


44  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  54 


OCTOBER  1978 


FULL  SIZE  FLOPPY  DISK  $995  COMPLETE! 


DISCUS  I™  full-size  floppy  disk  system  is  an  overnight  success 
. . . because  it's  delivered  so  complete  you  can  have  it  running  in  a 
single  evening. 

For  just  $995,  it's  a complete  memory  system.  Complete  with  all 
hardware  and  software.  Completely  assembled.  Completely  inter- 
faced. And  tested  as  a complete  system. 

And  you  can  not  only  solve  your  memory 
shortage  faster,  you  can  solve  it  longer 
. . . because  DISCUS  I™  is  a full-size 
floppy  system  with  3 times  the  storage 
and  5 times  the  speed  of  mini-floppies. 

Your  $995  DISCUS  I™  system  in- 
cludes a Shugart  800R  full-size  drive 
with  power  supply  in  a handsome 
freestanding  cabinet,  our  8-drive 
capacity  S-100  controller  with  on- 
board buffer  and  serial  interface, 
all  cables  and  connectors,  and 
all  the  software  you  need.  Your 
software  library  includes  DOS, 


///fiiiiimw 


text  editor,  8080  assembler  (all  integrated  in  DISK/ATE™),  our 
BASIC-V™  advanced  virtual  disk  BASIC  able  to  handle  a wide 
variety  of  data  formats  and  address  up  to  2 megabytes  and 
patches  for  CP/M*.  And  it's  all  interfaced  to  your  controller's 
serial  I/O  port  to  avoid  I/O  guesswork. 

And  it's  all  yours  for  $995.  We  even 
offer  CP/M  for  just  $70,  Micro-Soft  Ex- 
tended Disk  Basic  for  just  $199  and 
Micro-Soft  Fortran  for  just  $349  as 
nice  options  to  add  to  your  library. 

No  wonder  it's  an  overnight  success! 

See  DISCUS  I™  today  at  your  local 
computer  shop.  Or  if  unavailable 
locally,  send  your  check  or  money 
order  direct  to  Thinker  Toys™ 
(add  $7  for  handling;  California 
residents  add  tax).  Or  call  (415) 
524-5317,  10-4  Pacific  Time. 

*CP/M  is  a trademark  of  Digital  Research. 


A product  of  Morrow's  Micro-Stuff  for 

tm  CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  62 

1201  10th  Street 
Berkeley,  CA  94710 


I believe  that  serial  input/output 
devices  and  serial  Input/output  cap- 
abilities will  become  increasingly 
more  important  as  telephone  com- 
munications between  microcompu- 
ter systems  becomes  more  common- 
place. Also,  serial  I/O  devices  make 
very  inexpensive  controllers  for  low- 
speed  peripherals  such  as  printers, 
keyboards,  and  cassette  drives  — a 
frequently  overlooked  fact.  In  the 
last  year  we  have  seen  a number  of 
new  serial  I/O  devices. 

In  the  past,  serial  data  streams 
were  interpreted  using  synchronous 
or  asynchronous  byte-oriented  pro- 
tocols. The  “grandaddy”  of  all  serial 
I/O  devices  was  probably  the  West- 
ern Digital  1602  which  supported 
asynchronous  protocol  only.  NEC 
slightly  modified  the  1602  to  gener- 
ate the  ^PD369,  an  asynchronous 
part,  and  the  nPD379,  a synchronous 
part.  But  all  of  these  early  designs 
were  overtaken  by  Intel’s  8251  and 
Motorola’s  MC6850,  which  offered 
synchronous  and  asynchronous  pro- 
tocols on  a single  chip  and  were 
easily  designed  into  a microcompu- 
ter system.  (Whenever  you  look  at 
the  Intel  8251 , always  remember  that 
AMD  has  a much  more  capable  en- 
hancement, the  AMD  9551.) 

For  those  of  you  who  are  still 
primarily  using  asynchronous  com- 
munications protocol,  National 
Semiconductor's  new  8250  ACE  is 
probably  the  ultimate  asynchronous- 
only  part.  The  8250  is  powerful,  easy 
to  interface  and  easy  to  program. 

For  those  of  you  who  are  primarily 
using  synchronous  protocols,  the 
old  byte-oriented  monosync  and  bi- 
sync protocols  have  largely  been 
displaced  by  SDLC  and  HDLC. 
These  are  bit-oriented  protocols 
with  a whole  new  philosophy  aimed 
at  increased  throughput.  Many  new 
synchronous  serial  I/O  parts  are 
available,  some  of  them  supporting 
SDLC  only  while  others  support 
SDLC  together  with  earlier  synchro- 
nous protocols. 

Zilog's  Z80-SIO  device  was  the 
first  multi-protocol  part  to  be  an- 
nounced. Unfortunately,  the  Z80-SIO 
device  still  has  a few  minor  ‘‘fea- 
tures" which  you  have  to  design 
around;  however,  it  offers  two  serial 
I/O  channels  with  asynchronous, 
synchronous  and  SDLC  protocols 
all  on  a single  chip.  Intel’s  8273  is 
primarily  an  SDLC  part  with  more 
SDLC  capabilities  than  the  Z80-SIO 
device  but  very  limited  non-SDLC 
capabilities.  The  8273  supports 
IBM’s  SDLC  loop  mode. 

A trio  of  very  similar  parts  are  the 
Fairchild  F3846,  the  Signetics  2652 
and  the  Motorola  MC6854.  These 
three  parts  appear  to  have  been 
heavily  influenced  by  the  same  de- 


sign concepts.  All  three  support 
SDLC  and  HDLC  protocols,  plus  (to 
varying  degrees)  synchronous  byte- 
oriented  protocols.  The  capabilities 
of  these  three  parts  are,  as  we  might 
expect,  in  order  of  their  appearance: 
the  Fairchild  3846  is  the  most  recent 
and  probably  the  most  powerful,  the 
MC6854  comes  in  the  middle,  and 
the  Signetics  2652,  being  the  oldest, 
is  possibly  the  most  error-free  but 
the  least  versatile.  The  3846  is  the 
only  device  with  complete  and  ac- 
curate IBM  bisync  protocol,  imple- 
mented in  chip  logic.  Before  you 
start  using  the  newest  part,  remem- 
ber my  well-known  warning:  "He  who 
buys  on  the  cutting  edge  of  tech- 
nology shall  be  sacrificed  upon  it." 

Don’t  rush  into  using  brand  new 
parts  before  considering  the  advan- 
tages of  using  something  that  is  on 
the  verge  of  becoming  obsolete.  It 
will  spring  no  surprises  on  you. 

While  on  the  subject  of  serial  I/O 
devices  and  telephone  communica- 
tions, the  Personal  Computer  Net- 
work Committee  (PCNET)  are  solicit- 
ing donations  (as  a non-profit  volun- 
teer organization).  Here  is  a worthy 
cause  for  any  of  you  with  a little 
cash  to  spare.  They  are  looking  for 
donations  of  $100  for  a retaining 
member,  $250  for  a sustaining  mem- 
ber, $500  for  a sponsoring  member, 
and  $1,000  for  a philanthropic  mem- 
ber. I realize  most  hobbyists  do  not 
have  enough  money  to  buy  the  RAM 
boards  they  need,  but  surely  there 
are  a few  who  can  help  PCNET.  If 
you  can,  write  to: 

Personal  Computer  Network 
(PCNET)  Committee 

701  Welsh  Road,  Suite  226 

Palo  Alto,  CA  94304 

The  PCNET  Committee’s  project 
is  possibly  the  most  significant  con- 
tribution to  personal  computing  that 
I have  seen  in  the  last  12  months.  By 
making  available  data  bases  and 
telephone  communications  at  rea- 
sonable cost,  they  greatly  enhance 
the  usefulness  of  every  personal 
computer.  But  there  is  one  more 
reason  why  I really  wish  PCNET 
well:  I would  like  to  see  them  get 
solidly  established  with  a single  pro- 
tocol before  we  are  faced  with  ten 
different  incompatible  networks 
that  confuse  everyone. 

I received  a letter  from  Mr.  Ray- 
mond M.  Glueck,  singing  the  praises 
of  KEA-Microdesign,  their  GRAPHIC- 
ADD  board,  and  the  attitude  of  Mr. 
Ken  Anderson  (who  is  KEA-Micro- 
design).  Mr.  Glueck  states  that  he  is 
chief  engineer  with  a large  chemical 
company,  which  makes  his  com- 
ments all  the  more  meaningful.  It  is 
very  rare  that  someone  takes  the 


46  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


CREATE  YOUR  OWN  SYSTEM! 


ALPHA  MAINFRAME 

Xitan's  Alpha  Mainframe  provides  the  perfect  housing  for  our  high 
performance  component  boards  The  mainframe  supplies  eight  slots  on 
an  S-100  bus  mother  board  and  includes  a fully  fused  power  supply  and 
cooling  fan.  The  back  of  the  Alpha  mainframe  provides  eight  cut-outs,  on 
one  inch  centers,  for  attaching  connectors  for  use  with  I/O  peripherals 


ALPHA  DISK  SYSTEM 

The  Alpha  Disk  System  provides  two  5’/i  inch  disk  drives  and  more  than 
b30K  (160  full,  single-spaced  pages  of  text)  of  mass  storage  Utilizing  our 
Dual  Density  Disk  Controller  the  system  may  be  expanded  up  to  a total  of 
eight  drives  I two  additional  minis  and  four  full  size).  This  versatility 
allows  the  Alpha  Disk  System  to  expand  to  fill  your  needs.  Plug  compatible 
with  the  Alpha  mainframe,  the  Alpha  Disk  System  is  supplied  with  Xitan's 
exclusive  ELDOS  operating  system  and  a full  package  of  newly-enhanced 
Xitan  system  software 


The  Processor 

The  Xilan  ZPU-2  provides  power  and  capabilities  unmatched  by  ans 
other  processor  module  for  the  S-100  bus  Coupling  the  power  of  a 4MHz 
Z80-A  processor  to  the  system  support  options  available  creates  a module 
which  satisfies  any  requirement  of  today's  applications  environment  Can 
be  switch  selected  to4MHz  or  2MHz  when  required  We  recommend  using 
Xitan's  fast  K series  (4MHz)  memory  boards  A jumper  selectable  wait  state 
generator  is  provided  for  use  with  slower  systems 

The  ZPU-2  options  include:  Memory  mapping  up  to  1 Megabyte:  Four 
channel  DMA  controller;  Vectored  interrupt  controller  and  Triple  counter./ 
interval  timer  Also,  a floating  point  processor  may  be  added  to  enhance 
your  system  when  high  speed  mathematical  functions  are  required  This  is 
especially  useful  in  scientific  and  engineering  applications 
NOTE:  /-BO  is  a reRistered  trademark  of  Zilog  Corporation 


- available  in  32K,  48K,  64K  or  128K 

Xitan's  K Series  Dynamic  Memory  Boards  have  the  fastest  speed,  highest 
density  and  lowest  power  consumption  of  any  memory  boards  available  The 
boards  are  engineered  to  work  at  4MHz  without  wait  states,  when  used  with 
Xitan's  ZPU-2.  Memory  refresh  is  transparent  and  is  performed  only  when 
necessary  Superior  noise  suppression  is  attained  by  power  and  ground 
grids  and  ceramic  bypass  filters. 

Don't  get  caught  short  on  memory,  most  users  upgrade  their  micro- 
computer system  memory  within  six  months  because  they  bought  too  little 
too  soon. 

Any  of  these  Dynamic  Memory  Boards  can  be  used  to  develop  an 
excellent  system  When  the  memory  mapping  option  of  the  ZPU-2  is  used, 
up  to  1 Megabyte  of  memory  can  he  co-resident  in  the  system 


System  Control 

The  Xitan  SeriaUntenupt-ROM  (SIR)  board  added  to  your  system  allows 
program  management  and  allows  you  to  add  up  to  seven  peripheral  devices. 
The  SIR  combines  a number  of  features  allowing  it  to  replace  several 
boards,  keeping  your  system  compact 

Five  serial  ports  and  two  8-bit  parallel  ports  are  provided  to  interface 
with  commonly  used  microcomputer  peripherals,  such  as  TTY.  CRT.  etc. 
The  serial  jumper  ports  allow  selectable  baud  rates  from  110  to  9600 
The  SIR  has  an  eight  line  programmable  vectored  interrupt  controller 
to  maintain  program  management  and  generates  a real  time  interrupt  signal 
The  SIR  board  provides  sockets  for  up  to  16K  byte  ROM  (user  furnished 
2708  s or  2716's)  for  building  resident  programs  and  preserving  RAM  for 
data  and/or  other  programs.  A jumper  selectable  MWRI TE  signal  is  genefated 
for  those  systems  which  require  this  signal  but  which  lack  a front-panel 


AVAILABLE  FROM  YOUR  LOCAL  AUTHORIZED  XITAN  DEALER. 
FOR  THE  NAME  AND  ADDRESS  OF  YOUR  LOCAL  DEALER,  WRITE 


1101-H  State  Road,  Princeton,  New  jersey  08540  (609)921-0321 


DUAL  DENSITY  DISK  CONTROLLER  (DDDC) 

Xitan's  DDDC  will  enlarge  your  system's  flexibility  by  controlling  up  to 
four  full  and  four  mini  disk  drives,  simultaneously,  for  a total  of  eight  drives. 
DDDC  will  record  in  both  single  and  double  density  on  both  8"  full  and  5 Vi" 
mini-floppy  disks  Selection  is  accomplished  under  software  control  to  mix 
and  match  recording  formats  and  disk  sizes 

Recording  format  in  single  density  is  IBM  compatible,  soft  sectored; 
double  density  is  a MJFM,  soft  sectored.  Crystal  controlled  WRITE  timing  is 
precompensated  to  assure  accurate  READ  when  used  in  double  density 
Bootstrap  EPROM  and  Phase  Lock  Loop  (PLL)  data  separator.  When  used 
with  Xitan's  ZPU-2  system  support  option,  the  DDDC  operates  as  a DMA 
device  for  enhanced  system  throughout 

The  DDDC  is  compatible  with  Shugart.  PerSci  and  Micropolis  drives, 
and  any  Shugart  compatible  drive.  (Will  not  work  in  double  density  with 
Shugart  5"  drive). 

DDDC  ts  included  in  the  Alpha  Disk  System 


* NAME - 

ADDRESS 

I CITY  

STATE ZIP. 

PHONE  


FROM  THE  FOUNTAINHEAD 

Vectored  from  previous  page 

time  to  write  spelling  out  the  good  deeds  of  a vendor; 
usually  they  write  only  to  complain.  But  if  KEA-Micro- 
design  is  really  doing  the  job  that  Mr.  Glueck  suggests, 
this  company  should  definitely  be  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  all  microcomputer  users.  I would  like  to  solicit 
comments  from  KEA-Microdeslgn  customers  in  particu- 
lar and  comments  about  the  "good  guy”  companies  in 
general.  I have  had  a flood  of  critical  letters  aimed  at 
most  manufacturers  in  the  business,  and  I know  that 
this  represents  a one-sided  sampling.  Would  you  please 
take  the  time  to  write  and  tell  me  about  the  good  guys, 
so  that  I can  publicize  their  good  deeds?  Write  to  me 
directly  at: 

Osborne  & Associates 
P.O.  Box  2036 
Berkeley,  California  94710 

or  telephone  (415)  548-2805. 

If  you  wish  to  contact  Ken  Anderson  of  KEA-Micro- 
design,  his  address  is: 

Box  6531,  Station  A 
Toronto,  Ontario 
Canada  M5W  1X4 

I received  another  interesting  letter  from  Database 
Computer  Systems,  P.O.  Box  33,  Kurait-ONO,  Israel. 

This  company  has  put  together  a Technico  TMS9900 
system  for  which  they  are  busy  generating  software. 
Those  of  you  who  may  be  interested  in  obtaining 
Technico  sgftware  should  write  to  Bob  Alenco,  at 
Database  Computer  Systems. □ 


NOW  A SOLUTION 
TO  YOUR  I/O  HEADACHE  # 33 


MC,  BAC,  COD  accepted 


The  OE  1 □□□  Terminal  is  a low  cost 
stand  alone  video  terminal  that 
operates  quietly  and  maintenance 
free.  It  will  allow  you  to  display  on  a 
monitor  or  modified  T.V.  1 B lines  of  64 
characters.  The  characters  can  be  any 
of  the  96  ASCII  alpha  numerics,  and  any 
of  the  32  special  characters.  In 
addition  to  upper-lower  case  capability 
it  has  a scroll  up  feature  and  full  X-Y 
cursor  control.  All  that  is  required 
from  your  m icrocom puter  is  300 
baud,  RS  232  or  20  mA  current  loop, 
serial  data.  And  if  that  is  not  enough 
the  price  is  only  $275.00  in  kit  or 
$350.00  assembled,  plusSB5.00 
shipping  and  handling.  To  order  phone 
or  write. 

OTTO  ELECTRONICS 

P.O.  Box  3066 
Princeton,  N.J.  06540 
603/448-31  65 
Dealer  Inquiries  Invited 

N.J.  residents  add  5°/o  sales  tax.  09 


43  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  44 


OCTOBER  1978 


"Savings  Bonds  are  good  for  anyone, 
regardless  of  income,”  says 

Joseph  B.  Flavin. 


/ 


Joseph  B.  Flavin, 
Chairman  and  Chief 
Executive  Officer,  The 
Singer  Company. 


As  proof,  the  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive 
Officer  of  The  Singer  Company  cites  the  completely 
organized  Savings  Bond  program  the  company  offers 
its  employees,  and  in  which  he  maintains  a very 
active  personal  involvement. 

“The  Payroll  Savings  Plan  gives  employees  a 
form  of  savings  they  can  feel  comfortable  with 
. . . anyone  who  saves  is  more  confident, 
less  frustrated. 

“I  don’t  have  to  buy  them,  but  I do 
because  the  Plan  is  there.  We  have 
Bond-a-Matic,  which  automatically  ^ 

takes  over  when  FICA  payments 
have  finished.  It’s  a painless  form  of  uj 

saving.  You  don’t  miss  it.  And  as 
part  of  the  Singer  Company  pro- 
gram, I personally  tell  employees 
why  Bonds  are  good  for  me— and  V A 

good  for  them.” 

Mr.  Flavin  also  feels  Bonds  . ’ 

are  important  to  the  economy  A jr 
“because  they  don’t  attack  the  ‘ 

area  from  which  corporations 
draw  their  money.” 

To  receive  a free  informa-  ^ 
tion  kit  about  the  Payroll  - 

Savings  Plan,  simply  mail  , ® J ; \.  . 

the  coupon.  t Vjf 


Director  of  Sales 
Department  of  the  Treasury 
U.S.  Savings  Bonds  Division 
Washington,  D.C.  20226 


. stock 
in^mertca. 

Buy  U.  S.  Savings  Bonds 


Yes,  send  me  your  free 
information  kit  about  the 
Payroll  Savings  Plan. 


NAME 


POSITION 


FIRM 


ADDRESS 


STATE 


CITY 


INTERFACE  AGE  49 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  14 


mm 

............  M 

A 

r 

fit 

iM  fekj 

> “ t 

1 | 

\J 

fm 

ri 

\ 

{ 

1 1 

k 

NEW  SOFTWARE  FOR 
YOUR  COMPUTALKER! 


SOFTWARE  PACKAGE  II 
to  be  available  October,  78 


CTEDIT  A new  parameter  editor 

CSEDIT  Editor  for  CSR1  input 

CTEST  CT-1  Hardware  diagnostic 

PLAYDATA  To  hear  the  data  files 
MEMVOICE  A vocal  memory  dumper 
KEYPLAY  Subr.  to  play  letters/digits 
PIANO  A simple  musical  keyboard 

8080  Assembly  Language 
*•*  Sources  included  * * * 

CPM  8",  North  Star,  Micropolis, 
Tarbell,  CUTS,  MITS  ACR, 
paper  tape 

on  any  of  the  above  media  $30.00 
calif,  res.  add  6%  sales  tax 


COMPUTALKER  CONSULTANTS 

1730  21st  Street,  AA 
Santa  Monica,  CA  90404 
(213)  392-5230 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  7 


14*  T 


THE  SSI  MICROCOMPUTER  SOFTWARE  GUIDE 

The  most  comprehensive  sources  of  microcomputer 
software  ever  published. 

Thousands  of  programs  available  on  disk,  cassette, 
paper  tape;  in  books,  listings,  and  magazines,  com- 
plete with  source  addresses.  If  you  have  access  to  a 
microcomputer,  the  SSI  Guide  is  a must! 

$7.95 

(Postpaid  U.S.) 


A COMPANION  TO 
UITERWYK’S  BASIC  INTERPRETERS 
By  Dave  Gardner 

Over  70  memory  addresses  mapped  in  MSI  and  SWTPC 
6800  BASICS,  plus  30  custom  assembled  alterations. 
Included  is  an  implied  GOTO  routine,  FOR-NEXT- 
THEN  loops  plus  much  more.  Learn  about  BASIC  not 
in  theory,  but  by  application. 

$9.95 

(Postpaid  U.S.) 

Enclose  check  or  money  order,  foreign  orders  add  $2.00  per  Item 
Postage  payable  in  U.S.  funds. 

ss/ 

t 4327  East  Grove  Street,  Phoenix,  Arizona  85040 j 

Distributed  to  dealers  through;  MICROMEDIA  Marketing 


By  Roger  Garrett 
Northeastern  Regional  Editor 


A SYSTEM  FOR  THREE-DIMENSIONAL 
GRAPHICS  DISPLAY 

I have  always  been  fascinated  by  the  idea  of  three- 
dimensional  television.  Unfortunately,  most  attempts 
have  involved  special  glasses  worn  by  the  observer,  and 
the  viewer  only  gets  one  perspective  of  the  televised  im- 
age. He  looks  at  a flat  screen,  and  if  he  walks  around  the 
back  of  it,  he  sees  the  back  side  of  a TV  set,  not  the  back 
side  of  the  image.  Holography  (laser  photography)  may 
hold  some  hope  for  the  future  but  does  not  appear  feas- 
ible at  present.  I believe,  however,  that  I have  an  idea  for 
developing  a true  three-dimensional  system  that  hobby- 
ists could  experiment  with. 


50  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  52 


OCTOBER  1978 


Suppose  we  take  a simple  LED  (light  emitting  diode) 
with  a power  supply  and  an  on-off  switch.  We  mount  the 
LED  at  some  arbitrary  point  in  space.  We  can  then  repre- 
sent a point  in  space  by  turning  the  LED  on  or  the 
absence  of  that  point  in  space  by  turning  it  off. 


Next,  we  mount  the  LED  on  a movable  track  so  that  it 
can  be  moved  quickly  back  and  forth  in  a linear  fashion. 
Let’s  say  the  range  of  movement  is  twenty  inches.  In- 
stead of  a manual  switch  to  turn  the  LED  on  and  off,  we 
control  it  with  a computer.  The  computer  is  set  up  so 
that  it  knows  the  exact  position  of  the  LED  along  its 
path  at  any  given  moment.  We  can  then  store  informa- 
tion representing  any  set  of  points  and  line  segments  in- 
to the  memory  of  the  computer  and,  with  proper  pro- 
gramming, have  the  computer  display  those  points  and 
lines  by  turning  the  LED  on  and  off  at  the  appropriate 
times  as  it  (the  LED)  moves  along  the  track.  By  moving 
the  LED  back  and  forth  along  its  track  at  a rate  of  sixty 
times  a second,  the  human  eye  does  not  have  time  to 
perceive  the  individual  positions  so  it  sees  it  as  a line  or 
a point.  The  computer  could  even  make  the  points  and 
lines  appear  to  move. 

For  the  next  step  in  the  development  of  our  system, 
we  substitute  a linear  array  of  LEDs  mounted  on  a track 
which  moves  the  array  so  that  it  “sweeps  out"  a plane  of 
space  rather  than  a simple  line  in  space.  Again,  each 
LED  is  under  computer  control,  and  the  computer 
knows  the  position  of  the  array  at  any  given  moment.  We 
store  into  the  computer  memory  information  represent- 
ing a slice  of  space,  say  twenty  inches  by  twenty  inches. 
If,  for  example,  it  represented  a simple  plane  through  an 


(bo 


systems,  in c. 

Boards  ®©  Something 

If  your  system  needs  to  know  Uh  A'11  f~  f '] 

what  time  it  is,  our  CL2400  is  | | 

the  board  for  you.  The  present  P •£,  ■ ■ ■ 

time  in  hours,  minutes,  and  sec-  ! X*  ,~t  a jy  3 T 

onds  is  always  available  for  input, 

and  is  continuously  updated  by  1 

the  highly  accurate  60  Hz  power  CL2400  Real  Time  Clock 

line  frequency.  Need  periodic  in-  $98/ Kit  $135/ Assembled 

tenrups?  The  CL2400  can  do 

that,  too,  at  any  of  6 rates.  Reference  manual  with  BASIC  and 
assembly  language  software  examples  included. 


If  your  system  needs  on/off  con- 
trol of  lights,  motors,  appli- 
ances, etc.,  our  PC3200  System 
components  are  for  you.  Con- 
trol boards  allow  one  1/0  port  to 
control  32  (PC3232)  or  16 
(PC3216)  external  Power  Con- 
trol Units,  such  as  the  PC3202 
which  controls  120  VAC  loads  to 
400  Watts.  Optically  isolated,  low 
voltage,  current-limited  control 
lines  are  standard  in  this  growing 
product  line. 

P.O.  Box  516 
La  Canada.  CA  91011 
(213)  790-7957 


o O * 

f 

PC3200 

Power  Control  System 
PC3232  $ 299/Kit  S360/A»m 

PC3216  $189 /Kit  $240/Assm 

PC3203  $39  50/Kit  $ 52/Assm. 

(formerly  comptek) 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  6 


\0^ 


\a 


tv 


x&’ 


12 


1. 


to 


\o°v 


\t*°- 


Administrative  Systems.  Incorporated 
(A.S.I.).  producer  of  the  MEDlCAL/DENTAL 
ACCOUNTS  RECEIVABLE/BILLING  software 
package  for  8080/Z80  based  microcom- 
puters. is  looking  for  distributors  in  some 
areas.  A fixed  license  fee  allows  you  to 
modify  and  distribute  this  software  to  end- 
users  as  many  times  as  you  wish  If  you 
have  experience  with  microcomputers,  or 
have  been  working  with  the  medical/dental 
market,  you  may  be  qualified  to  distribute 
this  sophisticated  software  package  For 
complete  details,  contact  us  . while 
there's  still  lime. 


ADMINISTRATIVE 
'STEMS 


□□SYSl 
□□□INC 
□□ 

1(>42  south  parkcr  road  suite  100  denver,  Colorado  H0211  (IOI)  7rr»  WM 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  1 


INTERFACE  AGE  51 


the  LEDs  in  the  array.  Just  as  the  points  and  lines  could 
be  made  to  move  in  one  dimension  in  the  previous 
setup,  the  plane  figures  in  this  setup  could  be  made  to 
move  in  two  dimensions.  It  would  have  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  a common  television  set. 

Now  let’s  extend  the  idea  further.  Suppose  we  take  a 
two-dimensional  matrix  of  LEDs  approximately  1024  by 
1024,  or,  since  I have  already  noted  the  comparison,  a TV 


sweeping  out  a volume  of  space,  i.e.  three  dimensions. 
The  computer  holds  information  representing  many 
slices  of  space,  perhaps  over  a thousand  such  planes, 
and  displays  the  appropriate  one  on  the  screen  or  LED 
matrix  as  the  surface  moves  through  its  discrete  posi- 
tions along  the  track.  Remember  that  it  is  moving  back 
and  forth  at  a very  high  rate.  The  result  is  a three- 
dimensional  image  in  space. 


Order  UP  YOUR 
OWN  ORGANIZATION! 
Today  


Books  to  erase  the  impossible 


A great  handbook  on  how  to  start  and  = k 

finance  a new  business.  For  the  r|||f|l 

programmer-would  be  consultant  or  1| 

the  basement  homebrewer-turned-  § * 

entrepreneur.  It  is  recommended  in  il  ' j,  ^ 

the  Bank  of  America  Small  Business  J 1 

Reporter  and  Changing  Times  magazines.  | 

372  pp  $14.95,  plus  $.75  postage  and  g'  I 

handling.  Hardcover.  g- I 

Send  your  orders  to:  | lO  B- "’SfiSB 

BITS.  Inc.  j 

Dept.  6,  P.O.  Box  428  SI  ' ^ 

Peterborough,  NH  03458 

Dial  your  bank  card  orders  TOLL-FREE:  800-258-5477 


• The  Best  of  the  Microcomputer 

Book  Field 

• 1 50  Titles 

• Self-published  Works 

• Posters 

• T-Shirts 

• Special  Interest  Books  & Items 

• All  Orders  Shipped  in  24  hours 


Write  for  a FREE  CATALOG  or 
circle  the  inquiry  number  on 
your  reader  service  card. 


52  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  S 


OCTOBER  1978 


I 


Technology  has  brought  the  computer  within  your 
grasp.  Interface  Age  puts  it  in  your  hands. 

The  small  businessman  like  yourself  is  aware  of  the 
progress  made  in  microcomputing. 


Articles  ranging  from  the  fundamentals  of  com- 
puters to  languages  and  system  design,  tutorials,  ac- 
tivities, and  new  product  releases  to  help  you  get  started 
in  microcomputing  and  keep  up  with  the  industry. 

Get  a hold  of  the  information  you  need.  Subscribe  to 
Interface  Age  today.  Save  $7  over  newsstand  price. 

12  Monthly  Issues:  S14  U.S.;  S16  Canada/Mexico:  S24  Interna- 
tional. 24  Issues:  S24  U.S.;  S28  Canada/Mexico.  36  Issues: 

S36  U.S.;  S42  Canada/Mexico. 


What  you  may  not  have  is  an  update  of  what  is 
happening  in  microcomputer  development  and  what 
discoveries  might  save  you  money  and  increase  your 
computer's  usefulness. 


Interface  Age  has  the  information  you  need. 

In  issues  you’ve  missed  we’ve  presented... 

• A way  to  improve  your  chances  of  success  in  a business 
venture. 

• A complete  general  ledger  and  payroll  accounting 
program  with  documentation. 

• A new  design  for  typewriter  keyboards  that  obsoletes 
the  electric  typewriter. 

• A program  that  can  assist  you  in  writing  reports  and 
letters. 

• A program  to  plan  your  investment  in  income  property. 


Name 

Address _ 

City State Zip 

□ Visa  Card  □ Master  Charge 

Acct  No Exp.  Date 

Signature 

Check  or  money  order  (U.S.  Funds  drawn  on  U.S.  Bank) 

Make  checks  payable  to:  INTERFACE  AGE  MAGAZINE 
P.O.  Box  1234  Dept  A10Cerritos,  CA  90701 
□ Please  send  information  on  issues  available  back  to  1975. 


Copyright  1978  INTERFACE  AGE.  Inc  All  Rights  Reserved. 


Why 

Pay  More? 

Why  pay  for  more  printer  than  you  need?  Our 
series  40  printers  offer  more  features  for  less 
bucks  than  any  other  commercial  quality  printer 
on  the  market  today.  A complete  stand-alone  40 
column  impact  dot  matrix  printer  with  a 64 
character  ASCII  set.  Includes  power  supply, 
casework  and  interface  electronics.  Single 
quantity  price  for  the  parallel  ASCII  interface 
model  is  $425.  Serial  RS232/current  loop 
interface  models  start  at  $575.  OEM  discounts 
available. 

For  more  infor- 
mation write  to: 

MPI  2099  West 
2200  South,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah 
84119  or  call  (801) 

973-6053. 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  38 


8K  STATIC  RAM 


• BUS  BUFFERS 

- CAN  USE  VMA  OR  VMA 

• FULLY  DECODED  TO  ANY  8K  BLOCK 

• LOW  POWER  2102  TYPE  RAM 

• 450  ns  ACCESS  TIME 

• EXORCISOR  AND  D2  KIT  COMPATIBLE 


There  are,  of  course,  some  problems  with  this.  The 
screen  must  be  moved  back  and  forth  at  least  sixty 
times  a second  so  that  the  viewer  does  not  perceive  im- 
age flicker.  This  has  several  implications.  If  we  assume 
that  there  are  1024  discrete  positions  of  the  screen,  then 
each  slice  of  the  displayed  object  must  be  displayed  in 
one  one-thousand-twenty-fourth  of  one  sixtieth  of  a sec- 
ond. That’s  a lot  of  information  to  display  in  a very  short 
time.  Initial  experiments  might  be  done  with  consider- 
ably fewer  slices  of  space  and  fewer  points  per  slice. 

Moving  a TV  screen  twenty  inches  back  and  forth  at 
sixty  cycles  per  second  would  require  a substantial 
amount  of  energy  and  would  probably  result  in  a lot  of 
little  pieces  of  TV  flying  about  the  room.  Even  an  LED 
matrix  would  have  too  much  mass  to  withstand  the 
shaking.  The  solution  is  simple. 


COMPLETE  KIT  cat.no  SY1-801K  S159.00 

ASSEMBLED,  TESTED  cat.no.SY1-801  S229.00 

BARE  BOARD  cat.no.PC-801  S 34.90 

KIT  WITHOUT  2102's  cat.no.SY1-801P  S 69.00 

SOCKETS  KIT  cat.no.SOC-801  $ 15.00 

ASSEMBLED  WITH  SOCKETS  cat.no.SY1801S  S254.00 

AVAILABLE  NOVEMBER  1st 

We  have  an  expanding  line  of  products  to 
compliment  your  D2  Kit. 

Coming  soon:  Cabinet  and  power  supply. 

Write  for  complete  product  guide. 

MASTERCHARGE  • VISA  • FOB  ALBUQUERQUE 

® Registered  Trademark  ot  Motorola 

COMPARE  OUR  PRODUCTS  AND  PRICES  yjuDIO 
YOU  GET  MORE  FOR  YOUR  MONEY  FROM  NQtNt f RING 

1J1  WISCONSIN  N E ALBUQUERQUE.  N M 87108  PHONE  15051 2S5B45I 


We  position  the  screen  with  a lens  system  that  coli- 
mates  the  image  upward.  This  means  that  if  we  display 
an  image  on  the  screen  and  place  a flat  surface  any- 
where above  the  lens  and  perpendicular  to  the  vertical, 
the  image  will  be  focused  on  that  surface.  Now,  we 
could  move  the  flat  surface  up  and  down  at  sixty  cycles 
per  second  while  appropriately  displaying  the  slices  on 
the  TV  screen,  but  we  will  still  have  a vibration  problem. 

Suppose,  however,  that  we  position  a spiral-shaped 
plate  above  the  lens  system.  The  plate  would  be  made  of 
an  opaque  material  so  that  an  image  focused  on  it  from 
below  would  be  visible  from  above  as  well.  This  plate  is 
enclosed  in  a solid  circular  block  of  clear  plastic.  The 
block  is  then  rotated  about  its  vertical  axis  at  60  revolu- 
tions per  second  with  the  computer  knowing  its  rota- 
tional position  at  any  given  moment. 


54  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  3 


OCTOBER  1978 


A two-dimensional  matrix  of  LEDs  Is 
mounted  on  the  track  and  moved  back  and  forth. 


more . . . 
BRAIN  FOOD 


dilithium  Press  announces  more  food  to  feed 
you  and  your  computer’s  brain.  Our  new  soft- 
ware book — 32  BASIC  Programs  for  the  Com- 
modore PET  Computer— is  enhanced  with  five 
cassette  tapes  which  include  from  six  to  eight 
programs  per  tape. 


• o ooo 

o oo 

666666 



6000 

Applications  Programs— There  are  a myriad  of  ways 
PETS  can  help  us  do  useful  work.  Balance  your 
checkbook,  check  your  biorhythms  and  calculate 
payments  and  interest  on  loans  are  just  some  ex- 
amples of  these  six  programs. 


Educational  Programs— With  a good  software  library, 
the  PET  can  be  a valuable  learning  center  in  school  or 
at  home.  Make  flashcards,  math  drills,  and  expand 
your  vocabulary  with  these  six  programs. 


Figure  4.  The  LED  matrix  sweeps  out  a volume  of  space. 
The  computer,  by  turning  the  individual  LEDs  on  and  off 
at  appropriate  positions  as  the  matrix  moves  back  and 
forth,  can  display  any  three-dimensional  object  and  even 
make  it  “move”  in  space. 


CLEAR  PLASTIC  SOLID 


TRANSLUSCENT  SPIRAL 
PLATE 


Figure  5.  The  spiral  plate  is  cast  inside  a clear  plastic 
cylindrical  solid  block.  The  plate  is  transluscent  so  that  an 
image  projected  from  the  bottom  is  visible  from  all  angles. 


Game  Programs— Here  are  six  games  for  challenge 
and  fun.  Dice  games,  Roadrace  and  WARI,  an  African 
game  of  skill  will  allow  you  to  match  wits  with  the 
computer  or  a friend. 


Mathematics  Programs— The  computer’s  speed  and 
reliability  renders  solvable  many  otherwise  difficult 
or  impossible  calculations.  These  six  programs  are  of 
interest  to  engineers,  students,  mathematicians,  and 
others  who  encounter  such  problems  in  their  work. 


Graphics  Display/Miscellaneous— Here  are  four 
graphics  programs  that  are  sheer  fun.  The  PET  has 
special  graphic  capabilities  that  are  not  found  on 
similar  computers.  Also  on  this  tape  you’ll  find  four 
extra  programs  for  computing  odds  and  calculating 
interesting  mathematical  questions. 


Because  we  know  you'll  be  anxious  to  test  our  tapes 
to  use  with  your  PET  computer  we’re  offering  you  a 
special  10%  discount  if  you  order  five  tapes  and  the 
accompanying  book. 

32  BASIC  Programs  for  the 

Commodore  PET  Computer $15.95 

Each  tape 9.95 


Prices  subject  to  change  without 
notice.  50c  postage  and  handling 
per  volume. 


dP 


dilithium  Press 

P.O.  Box  92  Dept.  101 

Forest  Grove,  OR  97116 


Publishing  Personal  Computing  Books  Is  Our  Business! 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  15 


INTERFACE  AGE  55 


Two  Bytes  Are  Better  Than  One 


RS232C 

or 

20MA 

LOOP 


8 VECTORED 
INTERRUPTS 

1 CHIP 
CLOCK 

TMS2708 

E-PROM 

ROGRAMMER 


FREE  YOURSELF  FROM  THE  ONE  BYTE  WORLD.  MOVE  UP  TO  THE  TWO  BYTE  TEXAS  INSTRUMENTS  TMS-99C 
16-BIT  MICROPROCESSOR  — WITH  OUR  — “SUPER  STARTER  SYSTEM”  — TEC-9900-SS.  SHOWN  ABOVE,  FEATURE 
HARDWARE  MULTIPLY  AND  DIVIDE,  69  MINI-COMPUTER  INSTRUCTIONS,  7 ADDRESSING  MODES,  EXPANDABL 
TO  A FULL  65K  BYTES;  MONITOR,  TMS  9900  CPU.  RAM,  P-ROM,  E-PROM,  PROGRAMMER  ALL  ON  ONE  P- 
BOARD  BASIC  OPERATING  SYSTEM  AS  LOW  AS  $299  UNASSEMBLED  $399  ASSEMBLED  AND  TESTE 
EXPLICIT  MANUAL  INCLUDED  OR  AVAILABLE  SEPARATELY  AT  $35,  TO  LEARN  MORE  . . .JUST  TEAR  OF 
A PIECE  OF  THIS  AD.  PIN  TO  YOUR  LETTERHEAD  & RETURN  TO  TECHNICO  OR  CALL  OUR  HOTLINE  1-800/638-281 
TO  RECEIVE  FREE  INFO-PACKAGE.  —DESIGN  & TECH  SUPPORT  BY  ROSSE  CORP.  circleinouibvno  ss 


TECHNICO 


INCORPORATED 


9130  Red  Branch  Rd. 
Columbia,  Md.  21045 
301 -596-41 00 


THE  TECHNOLOGY  LEADER  IN 
ELECTRONICS  DISTRIBUTION 


The  trick  here  is  that  instead  of  the  computer  display- 
ing the  information  associated  with  flat  slices  of  space, 
it  displays  the  information  associated  with  spiral  slices 
of  space  corresponding  to  the  spiral  shape  and  rota- 
tional position  of  the  plate  within  the  clear  plastic  block. 
During  each  rotation,  the  spiral  plate  sweeps  out  the  full 
volume  of  the  block,  and  by  appropriate  control  of  the 
images  on  the  TV  screen,  we  can  display  full  three-di- 
mensional objects.  By  utilizing  rotational  movement,  we 
have  eliminated  the  vibration  problems  and  made  it  pos- 
sible to  view  the  displayed  object  from  an  angle. 

Calculating  the  appropriate  images  for  spiral  slices  will 
prove  to  be  an  interesting  software  problem  but  should 
not  be  unreasonably  difficult.  The  major  obstacle  will  be 
the  timing  of  the  displays  and  the  degree  of  image  reso- 
lution possible  with  today's  technology. 


Figure  6. 

The  image  on  the 
TV  screen  is 
collimated  by  a set 
of  lenses  to  focus 
on  the  spinning 
spiral  plate. 


TV  SCREEN 

FACING 

UPWARDS 


SPIRAL  PLATE 
SPINNING 
AT  60  RPM 


$95  Stand  Alone  Video  Terminal 

a.Sfb  i 9 «,  X jJ  0 133—  “ W I **** 

! " nU ' (. > ++ , -.  01 2456789 : :<= >? 
0ABCDEF  GH I JKLMNGPQR5TUUWXVZ  C _ 

’■  9b cd ■? 1 9 h i i k 1 iv« ft o rs t u'v'wx yz*L ! 


SCT-100  FEATURES: 

• 64  X 16  line  format  with  128  displayable  characters 
k • Serial  ASCII  or  BAUDOT  with  multiple  Baud  rates 
• $187  Assembled  or  $157  Kit  (Partial  Kit  $95) 

I Full  cursor  control  with  scrolling  and  paging 
• On  board  power  supply 
• Many  additional  features 

Call  or  write  today.  MC/VISA  accepted 

XITEX  CORP.  P.O.  Box  #20887 
Dallas,  Texas,  75220  • Phone  (214)  386-3859 
Overseas  orders  and  dealer  inquiries  welcome 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  68 


INTERFACE  AGE  57 


One  minor  drawback  that  should  be  considered  is  that 
this  does  not  actually  reproduce  the  object,  only  the  im- 
age of  the  object.  As  such,  you  will  be  able  to  see  through 
it.  It  will  appear  to  be  a ghost-like  image.  You  will  not  be 
able  to,  for  example,  shine  a light  on  it  and  get  a reflec- 
tion. It  should,  however,  be  quite  useful  in  displaying 
shapes  as  connected  lines.  Shading  of  surfaces  may 
prove  quite  difficult. 


Yet  think  what  an  architect  could  do,  constructing 
three-dimensional  models  of  his  design  and  making 
dynamic  changes  to  it  by  simple  instructions  to  a com- 
puter. Or  how  about  playing  chess  with  the  computer 
and  having  the  chessboard  displayed  and  movements 
all  made  in  3D.  Maybe  even  a Star  Trek  game  could  be 
programmed,  with  the  Enterprise  and  enemy  ships  ac- 
tually flying  about  in  space,  firing  little  beams  of  light  at 
each  other.  Sounds  fascinating.  □ 


KIM-1  ™ ACCESSORIES  FROM  MTU 


TyJi.i 

mm 

tfnij 

•mu  i 


VISIBLE  MEMORY 
Graphic  Display  K-1008 

• 320  wide  200  high  bit  mapped  graphics 

• 8K  byte  onboard  refresh  memory 

• Use  as  display,  memory  expansion,  or  both! 

• Graphics  and  text  display  software  available 

• Direct  KIM  interface,  no  external  logic  needed 

• KIM  memory  expansion  signals  provided 

• Can  use  with  other  6502/6800  systems  @ 
1.0MHz 

• No  wait  states,  no  snow,  and  no  processor 
overhead  to  refresh  display 

• 75  ohm  standard  video  1.2V  P-P  (non-interlace) 

• Low  power:  -4-8  <gr  25A,  4 16  @ .25A  un- 
regulated 

• Assembled  A tested  $289.00,  bare  board 
$40.00 

• Graphics  subroutine  pack  & demo  program 
$20.00 


CARD  FILE  WITH 
MOTHERBOARD  K-1005 
i Expansion  boards  fit  under  the  KIM 

* KIM  and  4 expansion  boards  require  no  more 
table  space  than  the  KIM  alone 

■ Only  the  KIM  is  exposed 

• All  expansion  boards  are  protected 

» KIM  and  expansion  boards  rigidly  supported 

■ Unbuffered  KIM  bus  is  well  shielded 

i5  slots  and  backplane  are  preassembled 

■ KIM  application  connector  also  prewired 

■ Power  input  via  5 point  terminal  strip 

■ Chromated  aluminum  A glass  epoxy  con- 
struction 

■ Assembled  and  tested  $68.00 


POWER  SUPPLY 
K-1000 

• Meets  KIM  specifications 

• Extra  power  for  accessories 

• Black  bakelite  enclosed 

• 5 point  terminal  strip 

• Fully  protected 

• Guaranteed  ratings 
110-125  VAC  line  voltage 
4 5 volts— 1.2  amps 

4 12  volts—  100MA 
♦ 8 volts— 750MA  unreg. 

4 16  volts— 250MA  unreg 

• Assembled,  tested  $30.00 


8 BIT  AUDIO  SYSTEM 
K-1002 

• D/A  converter.  8 bits 

• 3.5  kHz  LP  filter.  6 pole 

• Audio  power  amplifier,  100MW 

• Connects  to  8 bit  port 

• Fantastic  music  software  (KIM) 
4 Voice  harmony 

Fourier  derived  waveforms 
Different  wave  per  voice 
Music  compiler  A interpreter 

• Speech  synthesis  possible  i 

• Assembled  A tested  $35.00 

• Software  pack/cassette  $13.00 


Micro  Technology  Unlimited 


P.O.  Box  4596  Manchester  NH 
29  Mead  Street  03108  ... 


5 8 INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  34 


OCTOBER  1978 


ONLY  IIICC.I  GIVES  YOU  A CHOICE...  Disk  or  Tape...  or  Both. 
Have  it  your  way. 


. . . nl|»li;i-1  first  (stand-alone  Tape  System), 
buy  later. 

. . . licit .'1-1  first  (stand-alone  Disk  System), 
buy  ;il|»li;i-l  later. 

...  ;il|»li;i-f  and  llclt.l-l  (Disk  and  Tape) 
INTEGRATED  SYSTEM. 

Disk  Software  available 

— M EC  A D.O.S.  Included  at  no  additional  charge. 

— CP/M'  D.O.S.  for  S98.00  (includes  Editor,  Assembler, 
Debugger  and  BASIC-E). 

— Microsoft  Extended  Disk  BASIC  for  SI  95.00. 

Ask  about  the  Applications  Software  MECA  has  available. 

S699  price  includes  S-100  Bus  Double  Density  (MFM) 

Disk  Controller  for  up  to  3 Double-Sided  Disk  Drives,  one 
Mini-Floppy  Single-Sided  Disk  Drive,  Power  Supply,  cable 
and  connector,  full  Documentation  and  MECA  D.O.S. 
Software  on  5Vi"  Disk. 

Enclosure  for  DELTA-1  available  for  additional  charge. 

•CP/M  is  it  registered  trademark  of  Digital  Research 


D E LT  A-1  Customers  will  be  given  the  opportunity  to 
upgrade  from  single-sided  to  double-sided  disk  drives 
when  they  become  available.  Trade-in  of  single-sided 
drive  will  allow  you  S1 10  credit  toward  the  purchase 
of  your  double-sided  drive. 

North  Star  Owners 

Upgrade  your  present  system  for  only  Si  99.00  using  your 
present  SA400  Drives. 

System  Buyers 

Ask  about  MECA's  fully  assembled  and  tested  computer 
systems. 

NOTICE:  All  prices  will  increase  significantly  after 
December,  1978. 

For  complete  details,  call  or  write 

iiiecti 

P.0.  Box  696*7026  O.W.S.  Road 
Yucca  Valley,  California  92284  *(714)  365-7686 


QnnAMHAAA  tkn  .kl4«_4 
miiiivmiiuuu  iiiu  iiviifl  I 

- . ^ 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  27 


INTERFACE  AGE  59 


Osborne  & Associates  announces  two  new  books.  . . 

AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  MICROCOMPUTERS: 
VOLUME  2 - SOME  REAL  MICROPROCESSORS 
VOLUME  3 - SOME  REAL  SUPPORT  DEVICES 


There  are  hundreds  of  microprocessor  books  on 
the  market  today,  but  there's  nothing  like  Volumes 
2 and  3.  These  books  provide  the  only  detailed 
descriptions  of  real  products  from  an  independent 
source. 

NEW  MICROPROCESSORS 

Volume  2 describes  individual  microprocessors  and 
support  devices  commonly  used  only  with  the 
parent  microprocessor.  The  new  edition  represents 
a massive  expansion  of  our  previous  Volume  2; 
among  other  new  material  it  includes  the  first 
detailed  description  of  the  Intel  8086  16-bit 
microprocessor. 

NEW  SUPPORT  DEVICES 

Volume  3 describes  support  devices  that  can  be 
used  with  any  microprocessor.  The  majority  of  this 
book  is  new  material;  in  particular  it  has  one  of  the 
most  comprehensive  discussions  of  memory 
devices  ever  printed. 

Between  Volumes  2 and  3.  every  microprocessor 
and  most  support  devices  available  today  are  de- 
scribed — in  detail,  and  from  an  independent 


NEW  UPDATES 

Because  of  the  tremendous  amount  of  material 
that  Volumes  2 and  3 must  cover,  these  books  have 
been  written  to  be  updated  on  a regular  bimonthly 
schedule.  Six  update  sections  for  each  of  the  two 
volumes  may  be  purchased  on  a yearly  subscrip- 
tion basis.  Each  update  will  describe  new  products, 
or  products  not  covered  in  the  original  volumes; 
updates  also  provide  additional  information  for 
products  already  included,  and  errata  pages  for 
previous  text. 

NEW  FORMAT 

For  your  convenience,  Volumes  2 and  3 are  printed 
in  loose  leaf  form  and  may  be  purchased  with  or 
without  a binder. 

The  19  78  edition  of  Volume  2 and  the  new  Volume  3 
of  AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  MICROCOMPUTERS  will 
be  available  at  the  end  of  September.  To  order 
these  or  other  Osborne  & Associates  publications, 
check  the  appropriate  boxes  below. 


PRICE  QTY 


Volume  2 — Some  Real  Microprocessors 

14-4 

1978  Edition  — With  Binder 


15-2  Without  Binder 


16-0  Binder  alone 


Volume  3 — Some  Real  Support  Devices 


18-7  Without  Binder 


19-5  Binder  alone 


Volume  2 and  3 Updates  (Subscription 
to  six  issues  of  each  senes) 


Volume  2 Updates  only  (six  issues) 


Volume  3 Updates  only  (six  issues) 


• 6'/»%.  SF  Bay  Area  residents  only 

•6%.  California  residents  outside  SF  Bay  Area 

• Payment  in  advance  must  be  enclosed  for 
purchases  of  up  to  $70.00.  Invoicing  for 
purchases  of  $70.00  or  more  tn  the  U.SA. 
available  upon  approval  of  your  account.  All 
fore«gn  orders  must  be  prepaid  in  US.  doftars 
drawn  on  a U S bank. 


OSBORNE  & ASSOCIATES.  INC. 
V P.O.  Box  2036  DEPT.  C23 

Berkeley,  California  94702  U.S.A. 


(415)  548  2805 
TWX  910-366  7277 


Sales  Tax 
(Calif,  residents  only) 
Shipping  Charges 

TOTAL  AMOUNT  ENCLOSED 


SHIPPING  CHARGES:  Shipping  lor  large  orders  to  be  arranged. 

UPDATE  SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

□ All  foreign  orders  $4.00  per  6 -issue  subscnption  for  airmail 

□ No  extra  charge  in  the  U S.  • 4th  Class  Ma4  ONLY. 

BOOKS: 

□ Al  foreign  orders.  S3. 00  per  book,  for  air  shipment  I 

□ 4th  class  $0  35  per  book  (alow  3-4  weeks  within  USA.  not  applicable  to  discounted  orders) 

□ $0.75  per  book.  UPS  (allow  10  days)  m the  U S 

□ $1.50  per  book,  special  rush  shipment  by  air  in  the  U S. 

Please  send  information  on: 

□ Other  O&A  publications 

□ Becorrong  an  O&A  dealer 

□ School  discounts 

□ List  of  foreign  distributors 

□ More  information  on  Volumes  2 and  3 


60  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  43 


OCTOBER  1978 


1978  INDEX 
to  Microcomputer  and 
Minicomputer  Hardware 


What  is  the  microcomputer  industry  made  up  of? 
Hardware,  of  course.  The  problem  is  that  within  a short 
three  years,  the  industry  has  grown  from  just  a few  manu- 
facturers to  several  hundred. 

During  these  years,  INTERFACE  AGE  has  provided 
more  pages  to  listing  new  products  than  any  other  maga- 
zine serving  the  industry.  However,  we  felt  that  more  was 
necessary,  and  have  answered  the  problem  in  the  form 
of  an  index  to  available  hardware  in  this  issue,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  an  index  to  available  software  in  the  November 
issue.  December  will  bring  the  third  index  of  available 
microcomputer  books  and  literature.  All  three  indexes 
are  in  response  to  suggestions  from  both  readers  and 
industry  spokesmen,  and  consequently  reflect  what  we 
feel  to  be  the  desired  format. 

HARDWARE 

The  term  hardware  is  meaningless  as  a word  by  itself 
since  it  can  mean  anything  from  a picture  hanger  to  an 
IBM  370.  For  the  purposes  of  this  industry,  hardware  are 
the  microcomputer  systems,  either  as  a mainframe,  or  a 


complete  system,  or  disks  and  tape  units,  power  supplies, 
I/O  cards  and  memory  cards.  Hardware  is  the  physical 
boxes,  cards  and  wires  that  make  up  a computer  system. 
Each  piece  of  hardware  performs  some  function  within 
the  unit  whole  and  as  such  is  a separate  entity  by  itself. 

Hundreds  of  articles  have  been  written  on  the  func- 
tional purpose  of  each  hardware  piece,  and  even  how  to 
integrate  them  into  a complete  unit.  Within  the  hardware 
scheme  is  the  term  “iron"  which  is  usually  defined  as 
that  box  which  contains  all  the  hardware  pieces  to  be  a 
functional  computer  of  some  sort.  Therefore,  iron,  al- 
though by  definition  a piece  of  hardware,  becomes  sep- 
arate as  a hardware  item. 

What  this  is  all  leading  up  to  is  that  hardware  and  iron 
refer  to  different  components  and  are  sometimes  hard 
to  find  or  differentiate  from,  depending  upon  a person’s 
specific  needs.  The  purpose  of  this  index  is  not  to  de- 
fine each  hardware  piece  as  to  functional  purpose,  but 
to  provide  a list  of  what  is  available  to  the  computer  user 
market  and  an  index  to  OEMs  or  system  houses  that  are 
preparing  finished  end  products. 


Table  of  Contents 


MICROCOMPUTER  SYSTEMS 62 


PERIPHERALS 65 


DISKS/TAPES 68 


TERMINALS 70 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  61 


REFERENCE  EXAMPLE 

•Company  Name  or  'COMPANY  NAME 

Company  Address 

Company  Phone  Number  Person  to  contact 
Product  Name 

Product  Description 


MICROCOMPUTER  SYSTEMS 

• AB  ATEW 

Box  125,  S-642  00  FLEN,  SWEDEN 
Telex,  641  20  ATEW  S 
LYS  16 

16-bit  CPU  system  — using  GPC/P  4-bit  slice  processors 
•Alpha  Micro  Systems 
17875N  Skypark  North,  Irvine.  CA  92714 
(714)  957-1404  Attn:  Bob  Hitchcock 

AM-100 

16-bit  microcomputer  system 

• Andromeda  Systems  Inc. 

14701  Arminta  Street,  Suite  J,  Panorama  City,  CA  91402 
(213)  781-6000  Atten:  Les  Lazar 

Model  11/B 

LSI-11  based  dual  floppy  system 

Model  11/H 

LSI-11  based  cartridge  disk  system 

Model  11/M 

LSI-11  based  mini-floppy  system 

• APF  Electronics  Inc. 

444  Madison  Avenue,  New  York,  NY  10022 
(212)  758-7550  Attn:  Neil  Lipper 

PeCos  I 

Complete  system  with  cassettes  and  derivative  of  the 
Rand  Joss  language. 

• BILLING  COMPUTER  CORPORATION 

2000  E.  Billing  Avenue,  Provo,  UT  84601 
(801)  375-0000  Attn:  National  Sales  Director 


DC-1204 

Business  accounting  system  CPU,  hard  disk,  printer  and  CRT 

• CMC  Marketing  Corporation 

5601  Bintliff,  Suite  515,  Houston,  TX  77036 

(713)  783-8880  Attn:  Bill  Tatroe 
TEI  PT212/80 

Self  contained  system,  CRT,  disk  storage,  ASCII  keyboard 

• Computall  Corporation 

2740  S.  Harbor  Boulevard,  Suite  "K",  Santa  Ana,  CA  92704 

(714)  754-7854  Attn:  Al  Whedon 
CS-20 

Data  General  commercial  sytem  printer,  disk,  CRT 

Micro  Nova  9070 

Data  General  business  system  complete  package 

Micro  Nova  9045 

Data  General  business  system  complete  package 

LSI  4 

Computer  Automation  complete  business  system 

• Computer  Hardware  Inc. 

4111  North  Freeway  Boulevard,  Sacramento,  CA  95834 
(916)  929-2020  Attn:  Roger  Lotz 

The  Time  Machine 

Digital  cassette/computer  system  for  employee  identifi- 
cation and  time  keeping 

• Computerware 

830  First  Street,  Encinitas,  CA  92064 
(714)  436-3512  Attn:  Sales  Manager 
CBS 

Small  business  system  CRT,  80-132  column  printer,  floppy 
disk 
C-3D 

Software  development  system,  CRT,  80-132  column  printer, 
floppy  disk,  PROM  board,  PROM  programmer 

• Cromemco  Inc. 

280  Bernardo  Avenue,  Mountain  View,  CA  94043 

(415)  964-7400  Attn:  Dr.  Alice  Ahlgren 

Cs-3 

System  Three  computer,  4MHz  2-80A,  32K  RAM,  RS  232 
and  parallel  interface 


Our  MacroFloppy 
goes  twice  the  distance. 

For  *695. 


Introducing  the  Micropolis  MacroFloppyr“1041  and  1042  disk  drive  sub- 
systems For  the  S-100/8080/Z-80  bus  Packing  100%  more  capacity  into  a 
5%-mch  floppy  disk  than  anyone  else.  143K  bytes,  to  be  exact  For  as  little 
as  5695 

The  MacroFloppy:  1041  comes  with  the  Micropolis  Mod  l floppy  packaged 
inside  a protective  enclosure  (without  power  supply!  And  includes  an  S-100 
controller  Interconnect  cable  Micropolis  BASIC  User's  Manual  A diskette  con- 
taining Micropolis  BASIC,  and  a compatible  DOS  with  assembler  and  editor 
The  1041  is  even  designed  to  be  used  either  on  your  desk  top.  or  to  be  inte- 
grated right  into  your  S-100  chassis 

The  MacroFloppy:1042  comes  with  everything  the  1041  has.  and  more. 
Such  as  d.c  regulators,  its  own  line  voltage  power  supply,  and.  to  top  it  off. 
a stnking  cover  Making  it  look  right  at  home  just  about  anywhere 

Both  MacroFloppy  systems  are  fully  assembled,  tested,  burned-m.  and 
tested  again  For  zero  start-up  pain,  and  long  term  reliability.  They're  also 
backed  up  by  our  famous  Micropolis  factory  warranty 

And  both  systems  are  priced  just  right.  5695  for  the  MacroFloppy:  1041 
and  5795  for  the  MacroFloppy:1042 

You  really  couldn't  ask  for  anything  more. 

At  Micropolis.  we  have  more  bytes  in  store  for  you. 

For  a descnptive  brochure,  in  the  U.S.  call  or  write  Micropolis 
Corporation.  7959  Deering  Avenue.  Canoga  Park,  California  91304  Phone 
(213)  703-1121 

Or  better  yet.  see  your  local  dealer 


„.*!**'•*■ 


MICROPOLIS 

More  bytes  in  store  for  you. 


62  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  32 


OCTOBER  1978 


* CyberGrafix  Advertising  Design 

20201  Staff  Street,  Canoga  Park.  CA  91306 
(213)341  0350  Attn:  Shela  Clarke 

INFO  2000 

Complete  business  system 

* Data  General 

Route  9,  Westboro,  MA  01581 

(617)  366-8911  Ext.  4756  or  4752  Attn:  Howard  Steiner 
CS/20 

Compact  desk  top  business  unit 

MCB  1 

Single  board  computer  16-bit  for  data  acquisition 

• DATA  WORLD  Inc. 

7541  Ravensridge  Drive,  St.  Louis,  MO  63119 
(314)  961-2229  Attn:  Kenneth  Taggart 
VP  Series 

Desk  top  business  system,  CRT,  floppy  disk,  keyboard, 
primarily  aimed  for  OEM  market 

* Data  Terminals  and  Communications 

590  Division  Street,  Campbell,  CA  95008 
(415)  326-6141  Attn:  Bruce  Brough 
TaskMaster 

Total  integrated  small  business  system,  disks,  CRT,  con- 
sole and  daisywheel  printer 

• Dynabyte,  Inc. 

1005  Elwell  Court,  Palo  Alto,  CA  94303 
(415)  494-7817  Attn:  Rich  Mehrlich 

Basic  Controller™ 

Single  board  controller  with  ZIBL  — BASIC  like  language, 
Z-80,  serial  and  parallel  I/O,  cassette  I/O,  keyboard  port 

DB8/2 

Disk  based  computer  system  with  two  5.25  inch  disk  drives 

• EXIDY,  Data  Products  Division 

969  W.  Maude  Avenue,  Sunnyvale,  CA  94086 
(408)  736-2110  Attn:  Paul  Terrell 
Sorcerer™ 


Basic  system  self  contained  with  keyboard,  uses  ROM 
cassette,  requires  video  unit 

* General  Instrument  Corporation 

300  Shames  Drive,  Westbury,  NY  11590 
(516)  333-9500  Attn:  George  Weiss 

Series  7000 

Total  turnkey  system  with  disk  and  tape  storage  system 

* IMSAI  Manufacturing  Corporation 

14860  Wicks  Boulevard,  San  Leandro,  CA  94577 

(415)  483-2093  Attn:  Walt  Slater 

VDP-80 

8085  based  system  32/64K  RAM,  CRT,  disks  and  keyboard 

VDP-40 

8085  based  system  32/64K  RAM,  CRT,  5.25  inch  disks, 
keyboard 

* Interact  Electronics  Inc. 

P.O.  Box  8140,  Ann  Arbor,  Ml  48107 
(313)  973-0120  Attn:  Michael  Tucker 

Model  One  Home  computer 

Built  in  keyboard,  cassette  tape  deck,  requires  video  unit 

*The  Interpring  Group  Inc. 

50  Hunt  Street,  Watertown,  MA  02172 
(617)926-1510  Attn:  Sharon  Rogolsky 
Summa/11 

LSI-11  based  microsystem  complete 

* Lear  Siegler  Inc.,  Data  Products  Division 

714  N.  Brookhurst,  Anaheim,  CA  92803 
(714)  774-1010  Attn.  John  Pagliaro 
VDP-1000 

Complete  data  system  with  CRT  and  printer 

* Logical  Machine  Corporation 

1294  Hammerwood  Avenue,  Sunnyvale,  CA  94086 
(408)744-1290  Attn:  Steven  Sester 

ADAM  THE  YOUNGER 

Small  business  system,  desk  top  unit,  CPU,  keyboard,  twin 
floppy  disks,  printer 


MetaFloppy 


goes 


MICROPnLIS" 

More  bytes  in  store  for  you. 


The  Micropolis  MetaFloppy™’  gives  you  more  than  four  times  the  capacity  of 
anyone  else's  5%-inch  floppy  Because  it  uses  77  tracks  instead  of  the  usual  35 
The  field-proven  MetaFloppy.  with  thousands  of  units  delivered,  comes 
in  a complete  family  of  models  And.  like  our  MacroFloppv"1  family  of  disk 
drives,  MetaFloppy  is  designed  for  the  S-100/8080/Z-80  bus 

For  maximum  capacity,  choose  our  new  MetaFloppy1054  system  Which 
actually  provides  you  with  more  than  a million  bytes  of  reliable  on-line  stor- 
age. For  less  money  than  you'd  believe  possible 

The  MetaFloppy: 1054  comes  complete  with  four  drives  in  dual  config- 
uration A controller  Power  supply.  Chassis.  Enclosure  All  cabling.  A new  BASIC 
software  package  And  a DOS  with  assembler  and  editor  There's  even  a built- 
in  Autoload  ROM  to  eliminate  tiresome  button  pushing 
If  that's  more  storage  than  you  need  right  now,  try  our 
MetaFloppy.1053.  with  630,000  bytes  on-line  Or  our  Meta- 
Floppy: 1043,  with  315,000  bytes  on-line.  Either  wav,  you  can 
expand  to  over  a million  bytes  on-line  in  easy  stages,  when  you 
need  to.  Or  want  to. 

in  other  words,  if  your  application  keeps  growing,  weVe  got 
you  covered.  With  MetaFloppy 

The  system  that  goes  beyond  the  floppy. 

For  a descriptive  brochure,  in  the  U S call  or  wnte  Micropolis 
Corporation.  7959  Deering  Avenue,  Canoga  Park.  California  91304 
Phone  (213)  703-1121 

Or  better  yet.  see  your  local  dealer 


beyond. 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  96 


INTERFACE  AGE  63 


• Micro  V Corporation 

17777  S.E.  Main  Street,  Irvine,  CA  92714 
(714)  957-1517  Attn:  Art  Shahan 
Microstar  25 

Complete  desktop  business  system  based  on  8085,  floppy 
disk  controller,  two  RS232  serial  ports. 

Microstar  55 

Multi-user  small  business  system  with  a data  base  manage- 
ment system 

• Microproducts 

1024  17th  Street,  Hermosa  Beach,  CA  90254 
(213)  374-1673  Attn:  Sales  Manager 

Superkim 

Single  board  control  computer  — compatible  with  KIM-1 
software  and  most  APPLE  II  hardware  interfaces. 

• Morrow  Computer  & Electronic  Design  Inc. 

315  Wilhagan  Road,  Nashville,  TN  37217 

Attn:  Sales  Manager 

SYNAPSE/10 

8080  based  microcomputer  for  data  acquisition 

• NOVAL  Inc. 

7044  Convoy  Court,  San  Diego,  CA  92111 
Attn:  Sales  Manager 
NOVAL  770 

Business  system  housed  in  wood  desk,  48K  RAM,  CRT, 
dual  floppy  disk  drives  and  interface  to  printer 

• North  Star  Computers 

2547  Ninth  Street,  Berkeley,  CA  94702 
(415)  549-0858  Attn:  T.  Burt 
HORIZON 

Microcomputer  system  with  SOROC  terminal  and  floppy 
disks 

• Ohio  Scientific 

1333  S.  Chillicothe  Road,  Aurora,  OH  44202 
(216)  562-3101  Attn:  National  Sales  Manager 
C3-B 

Winchester  disk  based  microcomputer  system,  with  triple 


processor  board  6502A,  6800,  and  Z-80.  Also  48K  RAM 

• Olson  Electronics 

Contact  any  local  Olson  store 
MP-232 

Business  system,  32K  memory,  CRT,  keyboard  with  numeric 
pad,  dual  floppy  disk  drives,  dot  matrix  printer 

• Pertec  Computer  Corporation,  Microsystems  Division 
21111  Erwin  Street,  Woodland  Hills,  CA  90049 
(213)999-2020  Attn:  Neil  McElwee 

MITS  300 

Complete  hardware  and  software  system,  hard  disk  and 
soft  disk 

• PolyMorphic  Systems 

460  Ward  Drive,  Santa  Barbara,  CA  93111 
(212)986-6668  Attn:  Otto  Janssen 
System  8813 

Complete  system  with  floppy  disks,  CRT  monitor  and 
keyboard 

• Process  Computer  Systems,  Inc. 

750  N.  Maple  Road,  Saline,  Ml  48176 
(313)429-4971  Attn:  Tim  Pellegrino 
3800B 

Z-80  based  development  system  — 32K  memory,  dual  flop- 
pies, EPROM  programmer,  CRT  terminal  and  peripheral 
interfaces 

• Quay  Corporation 

P.O.  Box  386,  Freehold,  NJ  07728 
(201)  681-8700  Attn:  John  Lacatel 
90F/MPS 

Single  board  Z-80  based  microcomputer  with  floppy  con- 
troller 

• R2E  of  America 

3406  University  Avenue  S.E.,  Minneapolis,  MN  55414 
(216)  562-9908  Attn:  Ronald  Larsen 
Micral  Cm 

Multiple  microcomputer  system  for  multi  terminal  opera- 
tions, 8080  based,  16K  of  RAM,  CRT  and  minifloppies 


IN  ELECTRONICS  pK  HAS  THE  LINE... 


DIP/  1C  INSERTION  TOOL  with  PIN  STRAIGHTENER 


OK  MACHINE  AND  TOOL  CORPORATION 


3455  CONNER  STREET.  BRONX.  NEW  YORK.  N.Y.  10475  U.S.A. 
PHONE  (21?)  994  6600  TELEX  NO  125091 


64  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  42 


OCTOBER  1978 


•ROCKWELL  INTERNATIONAL,  Electronic  Devices  Division 
5310  Miraloma  Avenue,  P.O.  Box  3669,  Anaheim,  CA  92803 
(714)  632-2321  Attn:  Leo  Scanlon 

AIM  65 

Single  module  microcomputer  with  an  on-board  20  column 
printer 
SYSTEM  65 

Floppy  disk  based  R6500  development  system,  2 floppies, 
1 6K  memory 

• RCA/Electro-Optics  and  Devices 
Route  202,  Somerville,  NJ  08876 
(201)  685-6423  Attn:  Walt  Dennen 

VIP 

Home  computer  based  on  RCA  COSMAC  (CDP1802),  16-key 
keypad,  cassette  interface 
•Space  Byte  Computer  Corporation 
6464  Sunset  Boulevard,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90028 
(213)  468-8085  Attn:  Milt  Hubatka 
Space  Byte 

Computer  business  system  with  dual  disks,  printer,  CRT 
and  work  station 

• S.D.S.  Technical  Devices  LTD 

P.O.  Box  1998,  Winnipeg,  Canada  R3C  3R3 
(204)  944-1448  Attn:  George  Sagi 
TDS-M68 

Computer  in  an  attache  case,  teaching  and  developmental 
system  based  on  6800. 

•System  Computer  and  Interfaces 

223  Crescent  Street,  Waltham,  MA  02154 
(617)  899-2359  Attn:  Edward  Letscher 
SCI  8010 

Single  board  computer,  IK  RAM,  8K  sockets  for  EAPROM 

• Vector  Graphic  Inc. 

31364  Via  Colinas,  Westlake  Village,  CA  91361 
(213)  991-2302  Attn:  Lori  Harp 

Vector  MZ 

Z-80  based  complete  system  with  dual  floppies,  12K  PROM/ 
RAM  board,  32K  RAM 

Vector  2 

Z-80  based  self-contained  desk  top  microcomputer 

• XITAN  Inc. 

P.O.  Box  3087, 1101-H  State  Road,  Princeton,  NJ  08540 
(609)  921-0321  Attn:  Chris  Rutkowski 

GENERAL 

Z-80A  based  system,  32K  RAM,  one  micro  floppy  — basic- 
ally word  processing  system 

• ZEDA  Computer  Systems 

1662  W.  820  N„  Provo,  UT  84601 
(801)377-9948  Attn:  Clair  Smith 

Video  Computer 

Compact  video  computer  for  business  or  OEM  applications, 
Z-80A  based,  mini-floppy,  48K  RAM 

•ZILOG 

10340  Bubb  Road,  Cupertino,  CA  95014 
(408)  446-4666  Attn:  Dave  West 
MCZ-1/05 

OEM  oriented  micro  system  based  on  Z-80,  with  two  dual 
floppies 

PERIPHERALS 

• Anderson  Jacobson 

521  Charcot  Avenue,  San  Jose,  CA  95131 
(408)  263-8520  Attn:  Bob  Miller 
A 242  A/36 

DEC  compatible  LA  36  teleprinter  acoustic  coupler 

• AXIOM 

5932  San  Fernando  Road,  Glendale,  CA  91202 
(213)  245-9244  Attn:  Simon  Harrison 
EX-801  P 

Parallel  ASCII  input  electrosensitive  printer 
EX-801S 

RS232/20ma  serial  input  electrosensitive  printer 

EX-801  H 

9600  serial  input  electrosensitive  printer 


VJP'2 


'?***  \ a.*-*" 


<o^pp£0 

^ . .«*-***?  Spec*'  *£«*#*' 


uoVTi 


trod' 


no3' 


$39°° 

^603° 


Sc® 


atP'°e 


C® 


,TtW>8' 


Ca 


gQ70l 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  <0 


NEW  SOFTWARE 
AVAILABLE  FOR 

North  Star  ★ Computers 

The  following  software  is  now  being  offered  for  use  on 
tire  North  Star  disk  systems  and  Horizon  Computers. 


CP/M”  FDOS  and  Utilities 

From  $145 

Microsoft  FORTRAN-80 

$400 

Microsoft  COBOL-80 

$625 

Microsoft  Disk  Extended  BASIC 

$300 

Xitan  SUPER  BASIC 

(A3) 

$99 

Xitan  DISK  BASIC 

(A3+) 

$159 

Xitan  Z-TEL  Text  Editor 

(A3.  A3+) 

$69 

Xitan  Text  Output  Processor 

(A3.  A3+) 

N/A 

Xitan  Macro  ASSEMBLER 

(A3.  A3+) 

S69 

Xitan  Z-BUG 

(A3+) 

S89 

Xitan  LINKER 

(A3+) 

$69 

Xitan  Package  A3  (as  keyed  above) 

$249 

Xitan  Package  A3+  (as  keyed  above) 

$409 

Xitan  Fortran  IV 

$349 

C BASIC  Compiler/Interpreter  BASIC 

$95 

MAC  Macro  Assembler 

SI0O 

SID  Symbolic  Instruction  Debugger 

$85 

TEX  Text  Formatter 

S85 

BASIC-E  Compiler/ Interpreter  BASIC 

S30 

Accounts  Receivable 

ST  50 

NAD  Name  & Address  Processor 

S79 

QSORT  Disk  File  Sort/Merge  Utility 

S95 

Available  from  computer  stores  nationwide  or  order 
direct  from: 


LIFEBOAT  ASSOCIATES 
164  W.  83rd  Street 
New  York,  N Y.  10024 
(212)  580-0082 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  65 


• C.  ITOH  Electronics  Inc. 

5301  Beethoven  Street,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90025 
(213)  390-2668  Attn:  Ken  Hidaka 

820 

80  column  dot  matrix  impact  printer  mechanism  for  9.5- 
inch  multi  ply  forms 

• CALCOMP,  California  Computer  Products  Inc. 

2411  West  La  Palma  Avenue,  Anaheim,  CA  92801 
(714)  821-2541  Attn:  Carol  Felton 

Model  1012 

Drum  plotter  desk  unit  that  operates  up  to  10  inches  per 
second,  uses  four  pens  and  Z-fold  paper 

•CENTRONICS  Data  Computer  Corporation 
Hudson,  NH  03051 

(603)  883-01 1 1 Attn:  Chuck  Clemente 

Model  765 

1200  bps  teleprinter  for  the  high  asynchornous  trans- 
mission speed  range 

•COMPUTER  APPLICATIONS 

3030  Bridgeway,  Sausalito,  CA  94965 
(415)  332-9401  Attn:  Arthur  Jopling 
M DS-BOO/PRO-LOG  SERIES  90 
PROM  programmer  adapter  to  allow  direct  control  and 
communication  with  a Pro-Log  series  90  PROM  programmer 

•COMPUTER  TEXTile 

10960  Wilshire  Boulevard,  Suite  1504,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024 
(213)  477-2196  Attn:  Sales  Manager 

SPRINT  5 

Qume  SPRINT  5 daisywheel  printing  terminal 

• Computronics  Engineering 

7235  Hollywood  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  CA  90046 
(213)  876-3326  Attn:  J.B.  Stanton 
HEXADECIMAL  label  keyboard 
16-key  zero  bounce  keyboard  for  data  entry 

• Cromemco  Inc. 

280  Bernardo  Avenue,  Mountain  View,  CA  94043 
(415)  964-7400  Attn:  Alice  Ahlgren 


3703 

Line  printer  180  characters/second,  132  columns,  impact 
printer,  bidirectional  printing  with  tractor  feed 
3355 

Daisy  Wheel  Printer,  55  characters/second,  15-inch  platen, 
tractor  feed  and  friction  platen 

• CyberGrafix  Advertising  Design 

20201  Stagg  Street,  Canoga  Park,  CA  91306 
(213)341-0350  Attn:  Sheila  Clarke 
MCD 

SELECTRA-TERM  printer 
IOU 

SPINTERM  printer 

• Daneva  Control  Pty  Ltd 

70  Bay  Road,  Sandringham,  Victoria  3181  Australia 

(03)  598-5622  Telex  DANEVA  34439  Attn:  Stuart  Wright 

Duoprint 

64  character,  7x5  dot  matrix  electrosensitive  printer 

• Data  General 

Route  9,  Westboro,  MA  01581 

(617)  366-8911,  Ext.  4755  Attn:  Richard  Goldberg 

6073/6074  DASHER  LP2  printers 

180  cps,  parallel  receive  only  line  printers 

• Data  Printer  Corporation 

99  Middlesex  Street,  Malden,  MA  02148 
(617)  321-2400  Attn:  Nick  Siedun 

Model  1290 

900  LPM  high  speed  data  printer 

• Dataproduct  Corporation 

6219  Desota  Avenue,  Woodland  Hills,  CA  91305 
(213)  887-8465  Attn:  Gerry  Coulter 
2200  Series 

300-600  LPM  impact  printer 
B-300/600 

300-600  LPM  impact  printer 
M-200 

200  LPM  impact  printer 
T-80 

80  LPS  non-impact  printer 


MICRO  MAIL  HAS  WHAT  YOUR  SYSTEM  NEEDS 


S0R0C  IQ-120  S795 


• 24  line  x 80  characters 

• Upper/lower  case 

• Numeric  keypad 


T.l.  810  $1695 

• 150  characters/second 

• Adjustable  forms  tractor 
•5x7  dot  matrix 


TELETYPE  43  $999 

• 30  characters-'second 

• 132  character  line 

• Upper/lower  case 


DIABLO  1620/3  $2999 

• 45  characters/second 

• Letter  quality 

• Numeric  keypad 


All  terminals  include  EIA  RS232  interface. 


AVAILABLE  FOR 
IMMEDIATE  DELIVERV 


cMJCRD  im 


.11 


P.0  BOX  3297  • SANTA  ANA.  CA  92703  • (714)  731-4338 


WRITE  OR  CALL 
FOR  FREE  CATALOGUE 


Send  certified  check  (personal  or  company  checks  require  two  weeks  to  clear)  including  handling*  and  6%  tax  if  a California  resident 
‘Handling  Less  than  S750  add  3%  S750  to  SI 999  add  2%.  over  $1999  add  1% 

Everything  shipped  freight  collect  in  factory  cartons  with  manufacturer’s  warranty 


66  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  30 


OCTOBER  1978 


• Deciter  — Division  of  Jameburg  Corporation 

129  Flanders  Road,  Westboro,  MA  01581 
(617)  366-8334  Attn:  Bill  Sanford 
26209 

RS232C  paper  tape  reader  — desk  top  model 

•ESMARK 

507V2  E.  McKinley  Highway,  Mishawaka,  IN  46544 
(219)  255-3035  Attn:  Steve  Toussaint 
VIDIET  STICK 

Light  pen  that  is  compatible  with  virtually  all  mini/micro  sys- 
tems, software  compatible  to  8080  and  Z-80  based  systems 

• Gentle  Electric 

130  Oxford  Way,  Santa  Cruz,  CA  95060 
Attn:  Carl  Fravel 
Synthesizer/Computer  Interface 

Interface  to  allow  audio  pickup  from  voice  or  instrument 
to  be  digitized  by  a micro  system 

• George  Risk  Industries  Inc. 

GRI  Plaza,  Kimball,  NE  69145 

(308)  235-4645  Attn:  Robert  Nickels 
Model  721 

ASCII  keyboard  assembly 

• GSI  Systems  Corporation 

223  Crescent  Street,  Waltham,  MA  02154 
(617)  899-6698  Attn:  Gerald  Gershon 
ITMS-1 

Microprocessor  based  floppy  disk  system  to  replace  paper 
tape,  directly  replaceable  of  most  paper  tape  systems 

• Keltron  Corporation 

225  Crescent  Street,  Waltham,  MA  02154 
(617)  894-0525  Attn:  Ted  Chadurjian 
DM -300 

Digital  printer,  compact,  medium  speed  unit,  2.5  LPS 

• Lear  Siegier,  Inc./Data  Products  Division 

714  N.  Brookhurst,  Anaheim,  CA  92803 
1-800-854-3805  Attn:  John  Pagliaro 
300  Series  Ballistic™  printer 
Microprocessor  controlled  dot  matrix  printer 

• MarComm  Inc. 

124  Tenth  Street,  Ramona,  CA  92065 
(714)  789-3833  Attn:  Sales  Director 
Sp-100 

5x7  dot  matrix  bi-directional  impact  printer 

PROM  68 

PROM  programming  and  associated  PROM  function  inter- 
face for  6800  computer  systems 

• Nortek  Inc. 

2432  N.W.  Johnson  Street,  Portland,  OR  97210 
(503)  226-3515  Attn:  Sales  Manager 
Dual  width  module 

Master  system  clock  for  use  with  Digital  Equpment  Cor- 
poration LSI-11,  LSI-11/2  and  PDP-11/03  computer  families 
•OBJECTIVE  DESIGN,  Inc. 

P.O.  Box  20325,  Tallahassee,  FL  32304 
(904)  224-5545  Attn:  Sales  Director 
TRACER 

An  S-100  board  allows  for  single  stepping  through  any 
program 

TIMEMINDER 

An  S-100  board  with  real  time  clock  and  hardware  interrupts 

• Oliver  Advanced  Engineering  inc. 

676  W.  Wilson  Avenue,  Glendale,  CA  91203 
(213)  240-0080  Attn:  Julie  Griess 
UPP-2700 

Stand  alone  gang  PROM  duplicator 

PP-series 

PROM  programmers  for  2708,  TMS  2716,  2516  and  2532 
OP-80A 

Optical  paper  tape  reader 

• Periphicon 

P.O.  Box  324,  Beaverton,  OR  97005 
(503)  646-9869  Attn:  Charles  Osborne 
Type  511 

Image  digitizer 


DIGITAL/  _TL 

RELIABILITY 
QUALITY 
DEPENDABILITY 

ADDRESSING 
PROTECT 
BUFFERING 
LOW  POWER 
WAIT  STATES 


8K  STATIC  RAM 
ASSEMBLED 
S-100 


ALL  S-iOO  BUS  Lhf3  ARE  FULLY  BLfYERED 
ONE  LS-TTL  LOAD  KM  UNE 


O.t,  Ofi  2 WAIT  STATES  MAY  K SELECTED 
VIA  A PLUGGABLE  JUMPER 


QUALITY 

GUARANTEE 

DELIVERY 


TIC  BOARD  © GLASS  EPOXY  WITH  9HK  SCREEN  LEGEND. 

FULL  SOlECM  MASKS  ON  DOTH  8CCS.  FLCAY  S&DCRNQ,  GOLD  CONTACTS 

r NOT  SATTSFB)  FCTUNY  T>«  UNDAMAGED  WAS  WTTMN 
10  DAYS  FOR  FULL  REFUND  • ALSO  SO  DAY  LMTED  WARRANTY 

STOCK  TO  » DAYS  • CALL  BETWEEN  830  AND  MO  TO  RESERVE 
YOLW  8KRS  OR  FOR  MORE  ##CRMAT10N 


PHANTOM 


MBAORY  CMSAfilE  IS  VIA  f»HANTOM  PH  67) 


TESTING 

SPECIAL 


COMPETE  TE5TWG  NOT  OH.V  Of  ALL  LCM CRY  COLS  BUT  ALSO 
Of  AU  SUWORT  CWCtrmY  AND  ORTONS 


INTRODUCTORY 

PRICE 

ASSEMBLED /TESTED 


4 SO  n«  250  n* 

$14915  $18915 


(714)  992-  5540 
2555  E CHAPMAN  AVE 
I SUITE  604 
V FULLERTON.  CA  92631 


CALIFORNIA  RESIDENTS  ADO  6X  TAX 

/DIGITAL/  J~L j 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  45 


INTERFACE 

AGE 

BACK  ISSUES 

Available  in  Limited  Quantities 

1976 

APRIL,  OCTOBER,  NOVEMBER 

1977 

JANUARY,  FEBRUARY,  MARCH,  MAY 
$1.75  + 50<p  Postage  & Handling  Each 

1977 

JULY,  AUGUST 

SEPTEMBER,  OCTOBER,  NOVEMBER 

1978 

JANUARY 

$2.00  + 50<t  Postage  & Handling  Each 

1978 

FEBRUARY,  MARCH,  APRIL,  MAY 
JUNE,  JULY,  AUGUST 
$2.25  + 50<p  Postage  & Handling  Each 

INTERFACE  AGE 

Department  B.l. 

P.O.  Box  1234 
Cerritos,  California  90701 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  67 


™m©m> 


Give  your  6800  computer  the  gift  of  sight! 

The  Micro  Works  Digisector^  opens  up  a 
whole  new  world  for  your  computer.  Your 
micro  can  now  be  a part  of  the  action, 
taking  pictures  like  this  one  to  amuse 
your  friends,  watching  your  home  while 
you're  away,  helping  your  household 
robot  avoid  bumping  into  walls,  providing 
fast  to  slow  scan  conversion  for  you  hams 
...  the  applications  abound. 

The  Micro  Works  Oigisector  is  a completely  unique  device;  its  resolution  and 
speed  are  unmatched  in  industry  and  the  price  is  unbeatable  anywhere.  The 
Oigisector  and  a cheap  TV  camera  are  all  you'll  need  to  see  eye  to  eye  with  your 
6800.  Since  operation  is  straightforward,  you  don’t  have  to  be  a software  wizard  to 
utilize  the  Digisector  s extensive  capabilities.  The  Micro  Works  Digisector  board 
provides  the  following  exclusive  features: 

• High  Resolution  — a 256  x 256  picture  element  scan 

• Precision  — 64  levels  of  grey  scale 

• Speed  — Conversion  times  as  low  as  3 microseconds  per  pixel 

• Versatility  — Accepts  either  interlaced  (NTSC)  or  non  interlaced  (Industrial) 
video  input 

• Compactness  — Utilizes  1 I/O  slot  in  your  SWTPC  6600  or  equivalent 

• Economy  — The  Oigisector  is  a professional  tool  priced  for  the  hobbyist 

The  Digisector  (OS-68),  like  all  Micro  Works  products,  comes  fully  assembled, 
tested  and  burned  in.  Only  the  highest  quality  components  are  used,  and  the 
boards  are  double  sided  with  plated  through  holes,  solder  mask  and  silkscreen. 
All  software  is  fully  source  listed  and  commented.  The  Micro  Works  is  proud  to 
add  the  DS-68  to  its  line  of  quality  computer  accessories  for  the  hobbyist. 

Price  169.95 

Write  or  call  for  information  on  other  quality  6800  products,  including  computer 
portrait  systems. 

DEPT.  I, 

P.O.  BOX  ‘mO,  DEL  MAR,  CA  92014  (714)  7O0-2BB7 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  35 


NEW  SOFTWARE 
AVAILABLE  FOR 

MICROPOLIS 


The  following  software  is  now  being  offered  for  use  on 
the  Micropolis  MetaFloppy  and  MacroFloppy  disk 
systems. 


CP/M'  F DOS  and  Utilities 

From  SI 45 

Microsoft  FORTRAN-80 

$400 

Microsoft  COBOL -80 

S625 

Microsoft  Disk  Extended  BASIC 

S300 

Xitan  SUPER  BASIC 

(A3) 

$99 

Xitan  DISK  BASIC 

(A3+) 

$159 

Xitan  Z-TEL  Text  Editor 

(A3.  A3+) 

S69 

Xitan  Text  Output  Processor 

(A3.  A3+) 

N/A 

Xitan  Macro  ASSEMBLER 

(A3.  A3+) 

$69 

Xitan  Z-BUG 

(A3+) 

S89 

Xitan  LINKER 

(A3+) 

$69 

Xitan  Package  A3  (as  keyed  above) 

S249 

Xitan  Package  A3+  (as  keyed  above) 

S409 

Xitan  Fortran  IV 

S349 

Xitan  DATA  BASE  MANAGEMENT  SYSTEM 

$1,250 

CBASIC  Compilcr/lnterpreter  BASIC 

S95 

MAC  Macro  Assembler 

$100 

SID  Symbolic  Instruction  Debugger 

$85 

TF.X  Text  Formatter 

$85 

BASIC-E  Compiler/Interpreter  BASIC 

S30 

General  Ledger 

S995 

Accounts  Receivable 

$750 

NAD  Name  S Address  Processor 

S79 

QSORT  Disk  File  Sort/Merge  Utility 

S95 

Available  from  computer  stores  nationwide  or  order 
direct  from: 

LIFEBOAT  ASSOCIATES 

164  W.  83rd  Street 
New  York,  N.Y.  10024 
(212)  580-0082 


•PRINTRONIX 

17421  Derian  Avenue,  P.O.  Box  19559,  Irvine,  CA  92713 

(714)549-8272  Attn:  Mel  Posin 

P600 

600  LPM  matrix  impact  printer 
P300 

300  LPM  line  printer/plotter 
PI  50 

150  LPM  line  printer/plotter 
P300DC 

300  LPM  with  microprocessor  data  communications  inter- 
face for  remote  printing/plotting 

• Process  Computer  Systems  Inc. 

750  N.  Maple  Road,  Saline,  Ml  481 76 
(313)429-4971  Attn: Tim  Pellegrino 
SPDS 

EPROM  programmer  for  8080  and  Z-80  systems  supports 
1 702, 2708, 271 6 and  2732  EPROMs 

• Rondure  Company 

2522  Butler  Street,  Dallas,  TX  75235 
Attn:  R.Shannon 
Selectric  Printer 

Parallel  8-bit  read  only  version  of  ASCII  converted  selectric 
•SILONICS 

525  Oakmead  Parkway,  P.O.  Box  9025,  Sunnyvale,  CA  94086 
(408)732-1650  Attn:  Doug  Vaughn 

QUIETTYPE™ 

Non-impact  ink-jet  printer,  silent  operation  at  180  CPS 

• Summagraphics  Corporation 

35  Brentwood  Avenue,  Fairfield,  CT 06430 
(203)384-1344  Attn:  Morris  Samit 
BP-11 

Graphics  data  tablet  for  S-100  bus  machines 

• Sylvanhills  Laboratory  Inc. 

P.O.  Box  646,  Pittsburg,  Kansas  66762 
(316)231-4440  Attn:  Sharon  Bell 

UNIT-1 

1 1 xl  7 x-y  plotting  device  console  mounted 

UNIT-2 

1 7x22  x-y  plotting  device  console  mounted 

DFT-1 

11x17x-y  plotterkit 
DFT-2 

17x22 x-y  plotterkit 

DISKSH-APES 

•The  A-Teamlnc. 

P.O.  Box  719,  Bloomfield,  CO  80020 
Attn:  Sales  Manager 
FLOPPY  DISK  STORAGE  SYSTEM 
Slotted  file  drawer  type  device  for  storing  floppy  disks 

• Alpha  Micro  Systems 

17875N  Sky  Park  North,  Irvine,  CA92714 
(714)957-1404  Attn:  Bob  Hitchcock 
AM-200 

Floppy  disk  control  for  16-bit  machines 

• Braemar  Computer  Devices  Inc. 

11950  Twelfth  Avenue,  South  Burnsville,  MN  55337 
(612)890-5135  Attn:  Richard  Morris 
CM  600 

Mini-Dek  program  loader  and  I/O  device  mini  cassette 

• BASF  Systems 

Crosby  Drive,  Bedford,  M A 01 730 
Attn:  J.W.  Ehrlich 
6106 

5.25  inch  minidiskdrive 

6108 

5.25  inch  flexydisk,  dual  sided 

• CALCOMP  California  Computer  Products  Inc. 

1270  N.  Kraemer,  Anheim.CA 92806 
(714)632-5461  Attn:  Carol  Felton 

1143M 

LSI-1 1 or  S-100  bus  floppy  disk  subsystem,  IBM  3740  format 


68  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


• Cromemcolnc. 

280  Bernardo  Avenue,  Mountain  View,  CA  94043 
(415)964-7400  Attn:  Alice  Ahlgren 

PFD-W 

8-inch  dual  disk  drive,  256K  bytes  per  disk,  IBM  format 

• Dynabyte 

1005  Elwell  Court,  Palo  Alto,  CA  94303 
(415)965-1010  Attn:  Rick  Mehrlich 
FD250,  FD200,  FD650 
Floppy  disk  drive  systems 

D1000 

Fixed  disk  drive  system 

D3000 

Rigid  disk  drive 

• Galusha  Corporation 

12062  Valley  View  Street,  Suite  220,  Garden  Grove,  CA  92645 
Attn:  Sales  Director 

MICROSYSTEM/31 

Double  density,  double  sided  dual  floppy  drive  system  for 
8080, 8085,  A-80  and  6800  or  6802  systems 

• Futureworld 

2514  University  Drive,  Durham,  NC  27707 
(919)  489-7486  Attn:  Giles  L.  Cloninger 
FW- 100 

Tape  signal  conditioner 

• Heath  Company 
Benton  Harbor,  Ml  49022 
(616)982-3417  Attn:  Virgil  Bennett 

H17 

102K  bytes  of  floppy  storage  for  the  Heath  H-8  micro- 
computer system 

•INFO  2000 

20630  South  Leapwood  Avenue,  Carson,  CA  90746 
(213)532-1702  Attn: Sales  Manager 

DISCOMEM 

S-100  bus  controller  and  floppy  disk  system  with  CP/M 

• JPC  Products  Company 

P.O.  Box  5615,  Albuquerque,  NM  87185 

Attn:  G.J.  Williams 

IC-3 

Tape  cassette  interface 

•MECA 

7026  O.W.S.  Road,  Yucca  Valley,  CA  97604 
(714)365-7686  Attn:  Nancy  Millican 
Alpha  1 

Digital  mass  tape  storage  system 

Delta  1 

Floppy  disk  and  digital  tape  storage  system 

• MICRODATA  Corporation 

17481  Red  Hill  Avenue,  Irvine,  CA  9271 4 
(714)  540-6730  Attn:  Richard  Yamaguchi 
Lodestar™ 

Tape  drive  system 

• Micropolis 

7959  Deering  Avenue,  Canoga  Park,  CA  91 304 
(213)703-1121  Attn:  Charles  Ramsey 
Series  1016 

Single  and  double  sided  floppy  disk  system 
1041/1042/1043/1053 
Macrofloppy  disk  units 

• PCC/Pertec  Division 

9600  Irondale  Avenue,  Chatsworth,  CA  91 31 1 
(213)999-2020  Attn: Carol  Hays 
FD250/FD200/FD650 
Floppy  disk  drives 

D1000 

Fixed  diskdrive 

D3000 

Rigid  disk  drive 

• Smoke  Signal  Broadcasting 
6304  Yucca,  Hollywood,  CA  90028 
(213)462-5652  Attn:  Ed  Martin 
BFD-68 

5.25  inch  floppy  disk  subsystem 

LFD-68 

8inch  floppy  disk  subsystem 


From  EMM  — the  industry's  largest  supplier 
of  4K  static  RAMs  — a 2114  with  a year  and 
a half  of  delivery  behind  it.  Not  a new  part. 
Just  a new  pin-out  of  a proven  part.  IK  x 4 
organization.  5V  only.  Standard  18-pin  DIP. 

It  draws  only  300  mw,  has  all  the  speed  you 
need  for  microprocessor  applications. 

Emm  SEMlflNC. 

A division  of  Electronic  Memories  & Magnetics  Corporation 
3883  North  28th  Avenue.  Phoenix.  Arizona  85017  (602)263-0202 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  20 


MAINFRAME  BY  NO  NAME 


. ACCOMMODATES  MOST  POPULAR 
S1QO  MOTHERBOARDS 
WUNDER  BUSS  - 
IMSAI 
ALTAIR 

. LIGHTEO  RESET  BUTTON 

• KEYED  POWER  SWITCH 

• RUGGED  CONSTRUCTION 
092  IN  T6  ALUMINUM 

• ACCOMMODATE  SIX  DB25 
CONNECTORS  S 3 BNC 
CONNECTORS  AT  THE  REAR  PANEL 

• INSIOE  DIMENSIONS  17  3/8  WIDE 
* 17  1/2  LONG  x 6 314  HIGH 

• OUTSIDE  DIMENSIONS  17  1/2  WIDE 
x 17  7/8  LONG  x 7 HIGH 

• PRICE  $310.00 


• POWER  SUPPLY 

• 16V  AT  3 AMPS  EACH 
.8V  AT  20  AMPS 
-BV  AVAILABLE 
. DRY  POWER  EPOXY  PAINT 

DARK  BROWN  COVERS 
LIGHT  BEIGE  FRONT  PANEL 
. WHISPER  FAN 

• ACCESSORY  RECEPTACLE 
. ALL  POWER  FUSED 

• CARD  CAGE  AVAILABLE 
SPECIFY  MOTHERBOARD 


NO  NAME  COMPUTERS 
239  SEAL  BEACH  BLVD 
SEAL  REACH  CA  <W74f 
<2131  431  7383 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  39 


INTERFACE  AGE  69 


• Tarbell  Electronics 

950  Doulen  Place,  Suite  B,  Carson,  CA  90746 
(213)538-4251  Attn:  Don  Tarbell 

1011 

Floppy  disk  interface  S-1 00  bus 

1001 

Cassette  interface  S-1 00  bus 

TERMINALS 

• Beehive  International 

4910  Amelia  Earhart  Drive,  Box  25668,  Salt  Lake  City,  UT  84125 
(801)355-6000  Attn:  Dave  Zeiter 

MICRO  BEE1 

8085A  microprocessor  controlled  conversational  video 
display  terminal 

MICRO  BEE2 

8085A  microprocessor  controlled  buffered  video  display 
terminal 

• Bowmar  Instrument  Corp.,  Commercial  Products  Division 
8000  Bluffton  Road,  Fort  Wayne,  IN  46809 
(219)493-4472  Attn: Tom  Utley 

Custom  Keyboards 

Multi-colored  overlays,  custom  designed  keyboards 

• CMC  Marketing  Corporation 

5601  Blintliff,  Suite  515,  Houston,  TX  77036 
(713)783-8880 

TEI  PT208 

Self-contained  computer  system  with  display,  disk  storage, 
a full  keyboard  and  an  8-slot  motherboard 

• Compu-Text 

287  Wood  Road,  Braintree,  MA 02184 
(617)  848-1 800  Attn:  Theodore  Magida 
CURSOR  EDITING  TERMINAL 

Cursor  editing  terminal  with  high  speed  inter-system  com- 
munications and  output  peripheral  switching  device 

• Computronics  Engineering 

7225  Hollywood  Boulevard,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90046 
(213)876-3326  Attn:  J.B.  Stanton  II 
HEXADECIMAL  LABEL  KEYBOARD 
Microprofile  keyboard  with  gold  to  gold  contact  system 

• Cromemco  Inc. 

280  Bernardo  Avenue,  Mountain  View,  CA  94043 
(415)964-7400  Attn:  Alice  Ahlgren 

3100 

CRT  terminal 

3101 

CRT  terminal 

• Data  Access  Systems,  Inc. 

100  Route  46,  Mountain  Lakes,  N J 07046 
Attn:  Sales  Manager 
DASI 744 

Modified  Texas  Instruments  743  with  switch  selectable 
parity,  EIA  RS232  interface  and  cable 

■ Datamedia  Corporation 

7300  N.  Crescent  Boulevard,  Pennsauken,  NJ  08110 
(609)  665-2382  Attn:  Robert  Sullivan 

Elite  3045A 

microprocessor-based  fully  buffered  APL/ASCII  video  ter- 
minal with  APLoverstrike/ASCII  underscore 

• Digital  Equipment  Corporation 
Maynard,  MA01754 

(617)493-3716  Attn: Joseph  D.  Nangle 

VT110 

7x9  dot  matrix  characters  in  80-column,  24-line  format, 
reverse-imaging,  split  screen,  underlining  and  line  drawing 
graphic  characters 

• E&L  Instruments,  Inc. 

61  First  Street,  Derby,  CT  06418 
(203)  735-8774  Attn:  Sales  Manager 
VTE-1 

Video  terminal  electronic  system  with  full  ASCII  keyboard, 
reprogrammable  character  generator,  cursor,  and  flicker- 
free  refresh 


• Franklin  Systems  Corporation 

733  Lakefield  Road,  Westlake  Village,  CA  91361 
(805)497-7755  Attn:  Frank  Peters 
TO-2000 

Fully  automatic  operation  terminal,  automatic  sending, 
full  CRT  text  editing  and  direct  keyboard  entry,  compat- 
ible with  all  standard  Telex/TWX  receiving  units 

• George  Risk  Industries,  Inc. 

GRI  Plaza,  Kimball,  NE69145 

(308)  235-4645  Attn:  Sales  Manager 
Model  771 

Keyboard  subsystem  with  full  ASCII  encoding  for  71  keys, 
including  separate  numeric  and  cursor  pad,  auto  repeat  on 
all  keys,  and  standard  25-pin  interface  connector 

• Intertec  Data  Systems  Corporation 

19530  Club  House  Road,  Gaithersburg,  MD  20760 
(301)948-2400  Attn: Sales  Manager 
SuperTerm 

Microprocessor-based  printer/terminal  with  RS232C  inter- 
face, 60cps,  IBM  selectric  configured  keyboard 

• Lear  Siegler/Data  Products  Division 
714  N.  Brookhurst,  Anaheim,  CA  92803 

(800) 854-3805/In  CA  (714)774-1010  AttmJohn  Pagliaro 
ADM-31 

Smart  terminal  with  two  full  1920  character  pages  of  dis- 
play with  Protect,  Write/Product,  Program  Mode  and  Cur- 
sor Retention 

ADM-42 

Video  display  terminal  with  up  to  8 pages  of  memory,  16 
function  keys,  and  flexibility  of  format,  editing,  interface 
and  transmission 

ADM-3A 

Dumb™TerminalCRT 

• Megatek  Corporation 

3931  Sorrento  Boulevard,  San  Diego,  CA 92121 
(714)455-5590  Attn:  PeterShaw 

MEGRAPHIC  5014 

Refresh  Graphics  Terminal  compatible  with  Tektronix  4014, 
capable  of  displaying  movement,  local  translation,  scale, 
zoom,  selective  erase,  rotation 

• MicroAge 

1 425  W.  1 2th  Place,  Suite  1 01 , Tempe,  AZ  85281 
(602)967-1421  Attn:  W.CraigTenney 
MKB-2 

Keyboard  with  numeric  key  pad,  upper  and  lower  case,  cur- 
sor control  keys,  2-key  rollover,  and  auto  repeat  on  all  keys 

• Motorola  Semiconductor  Products 

5005  E.  McDowell  Road,  Phoenix,  AZ 85008 
(602)  244-6900  Attn:  Sales  Manager 

EPIC  68 

Multifunction,  display-oriented  microcomputer/terminal, 
6800  based,  serial  asynchronous  communications 

• MSI  Data  Corporation 

340  Fischer  Avenue,  Costa  Mesa,  CA  92626 
(213)393-0622  Attn:  Richard  Roper 
MSI/88 

Handheld  data  entry  terminal  with  segmented  memory, 
16-digit  LED  display  and  bar  code  wand  scanning  capability 

• The  NewO  Company 

246  Walter  Hays  Drive,  Palo  Alto,  CA  94303 

Attn:  Sid  Owen 

WRITEHANDER™ 

One-handed  keyboard  for  computers,  terminals,  displays 
and  other  1 28  character  ASCI  I or  ISO  coded  devices 

• Princeton  Electronic  Products,  Inc. 

Department  H,  P.O.  Box  101,  North  Brunswick,  NJ  08920 
(201)297-4448  Attn:  Sales  Manager 
SYSTEM-850™ 

Microprocessor-based  computer  graphic  terminal,  or  free- 
standing computer  graphic  system 

• Ramtek  Corporation 

585  North  Mary  Avenue,  Sunnyvale,  CA  94086 

(408)735-8400 

RM-3000  Series 

Independent  display  system  designed  for  stand-alone,  off- 
lineprocessing in  graphics  or  display  applications 


70  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


Alini/Micro 

COMPUTER  CONFERENCE  AND  EXPOSITION 

November  7-8-9,  1978 
Astrohall  • Houston,  Texas 


A Major  Computer  Conference  in  a Major  Computer  Market 


THE  CONFERENCE  PROGRAM: 

Minicomputers  and  microcomputers— low  cost 
and  versatile-are  putting  convenient  and  effective 
computer  power  at  our  fingertips  in  a vast  array  of 
products  that  will  affect  every  facet  of  our  lives, 
making  minis  and  micros  the  fastest  growing 
segment  of  today's  and  tomorrow's  data  proces- 
sing industry.  Designed  into  systems  ranging  from 
traffic  lights  and  numerical  control,  to  paint 
mixers  and  kitchen  appliances,  they  offer  a new 
versatility  and  striking  competitive  advantages  in 
the  end  products.  We'll  examine  these  aspects— 
and  much  more— in  the  conference  rooms  at  the 
MINI/MICRO  COMPUTER  CONFERENCE  & 
EXPOSITION  this  fall. 

Approximately  twenty  sessions  consisting  of 
eighty  papers  covering  both  application  and 
design  topics  are  planned. 

Some  session  titles  to  date  would  include: 

1.  The  Semiconductor  Impact  on  Computer 

Systems. 

2.  Practical  Aspects  of  Audit  Control  and  Security 

of  Minicomputer  Systems. 

3.  Business,  Entrepreneurial,  and  Investment 

Opportunities  in  Minis  and  Micros. 

4.  From  Service  Bureaus  to  In-House  D.P.  . . . 

and  Vice  Versa. 

5.  Small  Business  Systems  — How  to  Get  Started. 

6.  The  Growing  Impact  of  the  Microprocessor  in 

Computer  Graphics. 

7.  Network  Computers  and  Process  Control. 


8.  The  Business  Aspects  of  Minicomputer  Distribu- 

torships. 

9.  Future  Technology  for  Small  Computers. 

10.  Network  Troubleshooting. 

1 1 . Minicomputer  Tape  Subsystems 
(12-20).  Being  Organized 

Conference  Program  Committee  — Chairman: 

Dr.  Dennis  J.  Frailey  (Texas  Instruments), 

Drake  Lundell  (Computerworld),  Stanley  Klein 
(Mini-Micro  Systems),  Neil  Kelley  (Infosystems), 

Dr.  George  Ligler  (Texas  Instruments). 

THE  EXPOSITION  ...  is  growing  on  a daily 
basis  and  is  expected  to  be  the  largest  in  the 
greater  Southwest  in  1978.  The  list  includes 
(as  of  July  10): 

Dataproducts,  Tektronix,  Texas  Instruments.  CalComp.  Centron- 
ics, General  Automation,  Oatum,  Lear  Siegler,  Hewlett-Packard. 

Crea  / Comp  Systems,  Megatek,  Honeywell.  Ball  Electronic, 
Interdyne,  Computer  Design,  Trilvy,  Matrix  Publishing,  Cipher 
Data,  Small  Systems  World,  Poly  Morphic  Systems,  Tally  Corp., 
Datamation,  Summagraphics.  Aero  Mayflower,  Matrix  Data 
Service,  EECO,  MOB  Systems,  Control  Logic.  Computerworld, 
Printronix,  Cap-CPP,  Data  Systems  Design.  Cahners  Publishing. 

Digital  Equipment  Corp.,  Monolithic  Systems.  Able  Computer, 

E U & M Computer  Automation,  Televideo.  Intelligent  Systems 
Corp.,  I PI.  Triple  I.  Computer  Divisions,  Atlas  Energy  Systems. 

Tano  Corp..  Dataflux 

Exhibits  Committee  Co-Chairpersons: 

Paul  Eisner  (General  Automation 
Linda  LaCross  (Texas  Instruments) 

If  you  design  mini-micro  computers,  sub  systems, 
peripherals,  or  components,  use  them  in  your 
business— or  plan  to— the  hundreds  of  product  dis- 
plays will  also  be  of  valuable  interest  to  you. 


To: 


c 

C 

Q. 

Q 


MINI/MICRO  COMPUTER  CONFERENCE  AND  EXPOSITION 

5528  E.  La  Palma  Avenue,  Suite  1,  Anaheim,  CA  92807  Phone:  (714)  528-2400 

My  Primary  Interest  Is: 

D Attending.  Please  send  me  a Preview  Program  (available  early  October) 
listing  information  on  sessions/papers,  exhibitors,  and  hotel  reservations. 

□ Exhibiting.  Please  send  a copy  of  the  Exhibit  Prospectus. 


Name 

Title 

Company 

Address M/S 

City State Zip. 


J 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  71 


Bob  Harp,  Chie(,  Engineer 


A Look  At 
Vector  Graphic 
and  the  MZ 

Warren,  Senior  Editor 


As  the  microcomputer  industry  has  matured  and  the  mar- 
ket place  changed  from  the  hobbyist  to  the  small  business 
user,  so  has  the  system  design  concept  of  many  manu- 
facturers. One  of  these  manufacturers,  Vector  Graphic  Inc. 
of  Westlake  Village,  California,  has  recognized  the  needs 
of  the  small  business  user  and  has  developed  a complete 
system  based  on  the  Z-80  CPU.  This  system  is  the  logical 
outgrowth  of  the  systems  components  that  have  been 
the  mainstay  of  the  Vector  Graphic  product  line. 

Beginning  two  years  ago  as  a supplier  of  memory 
boards  for  S-100  bus  type  computer  systems,  Vector 
Graphic  has  developed  I/O  boards,  disk  systems  and 
now  a complete  system  that  utilizes  each  functional 
board  of  the  Vector  line. 

The  Vector  MZ  did  not  just  happen  overnight,  but  was 
the  brainchild  of  Bob  Harp,  Vice  President  and  chairman 
of  the  board  of  Vector  Graphic.  Bob  is  one  of  the  truly 
gifted  engineers  in  the  microcomputer  business  today. 
He  received  a bachelor's  degree  in  Physics  from  MIT, 
his  masters  and  Ph.D.  in  Electrical  Engineering  from 
Stanford.  After  serving  on  the  faculty  of  Caltech  in  Elec- 
trical Engineering,  he  moved  to  Hughes  research  where 
he  won  the  Hyland  Patent  award  for  his  design  work. 
When  asked  how  long  he  had  been  involved  in  elec- 
tronics he  said:  "Ever  since  I was  10  years  old,  so  about 
30  years.” 


His  30  years  of  experience  have  proven  to  be  signifi- 
cant when  the  quality  of  design  is  looked  at  in  the  Vec- 
tor systems.  A good  example  is  the  mother  board  used 
in  the  MZ.  The  top  surface  is  a ground  plane  which 
reduces  the  physical  amount  of  distance  a signal  must 
travel  in  the  circuit.  The  result  of  this,  of  course,  is 
greater  reliability  and  less  noise  on  the  bus.  The  mother 
board  is  fully  terminated  and  is  serviced  by  a 22  amp 
power  supply,  which  uses  a transformer  made  specific- 
ally to  Bob’s  specifications. 

A LOOK  AT  THE  MZ 

The  MZ  system  sells  for  $3,750  and  comes  complete 
with  built-in  5.25-inch  floppy  disks,  Z-80  CPU  running  at 
4MHz,  32K  static  memory  board,  shielded  and  termi- 
nated mother  board  and  a professional  looking  cabinet 
designed  with  the  small  businessman  in  mind. 

The  system  also  comes  with  Micropolis  MDOS  and 
BASIC,  plus  complete  development  software  including 
an  editor  and  assembler.  CP/M  is  available  at  an  extra 
charge.  Vector  also  supplies  a MZOS  disk  operating 
system  which  is  compatible  with  software  written  for 
the  North  Star  DOS. 

Vector  is  also  working  on  developmental  software  to 
assist  the  OEM  and  distributor  network  in  developing 
application  software  for  the  end  user. 


72  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


The  idea  behind  the  MZ  is  to  provide  a complete  pack- 
age in  the  sense  that  for  the  price  it  is  only  necessary  to 
purchase  a terminal  and  a hardcopy  device.  Basically 
the  complete  minimum  system  includes:  a CPU,  PROM / 
RAM  board,  workspace  memory,  a disk  controller,  and 
an  I/O  board.  All  of  which  are  found  in  the  MZ  system. 

Another  important  area  of  a complete  system  is  the 
ease  of  use.  The  MZ  provides  a degree  of  turnkey  opera- 
tion by  providing  an  immediate  reset  into  the  monitor  on 
start  up  with  a simple  instruction  to  boot  into  the  disk 
operating  system.  However,  the  degree  of  turnkey  oper- 
ation depends  upon  the  applications  design  and  desired 
interactivity. 

APPLICATIONS 

The  MZ  package  comes  with  systems  software  that 
can  be  used  by  the  dealer  or  end  user  to  develop  applica- 
tions software  that  meet  specific  needs.  Although  Vec- 
tor employs  in-house  programmers,  the  concern  is  with 
the  systems  software  and  not  applications.  Vector  uses 
the  third  party  vendor  concept  for  applications  software 
which  means  that  the  dealer  will  be  supplying  business 
software  either  off  the  shelf  or  designed  specifically  for 
a customer.  The  MZ  lends  itself  readily  to  applications 


for  those  users  who  need  a different  level  of  capability 
in  their  applications  there  is  the  Vector  Graphic 
Mindless  Terminal. 

This  terminal  is  built  around  the  Ball  Brothers  video 
system  and  uses  a capacitance  keyboard.  The  terminal 
receives  its  power  and  intelligence  from  a video  board 
that  is  placed  directly  on  the  bus.  This  makes  it  possible 
for  the  CPU  to  address  the  screen  as  memory,  and  as  a 
result  provides  protected  field  capability.  Using  this 
type  of  system,  the  applications  designer  can  use  fill-in- 
format  type  application  design  and  better  human  engi- 
neer the  software. 

Basically  all  the  products  that  Vector  Graphic  makes 
are  used  in  the  complete  MZ  package,  but  they  do  have 
some  other  unique  ideas  that  will  interest  another 
aspect  of  the  microcomputer  market. 

This  other  aspect,  and  one  not  being  addressed  by 
most  manufacturers,  is  the  Amateur  Radio  market.  They 
have  developed  a prototype  digitizer  that  sits  on  the  MZ 
bus  or  any  S-100  bus  for  interpreting  slow  scan  (ama- 
teur) television,  which  makes  it  possible  to  save  it  either 
on  tape  or  disk  media.  Although  Vector  is  not  directly 
targeting  to  the  HAM  market  the  idea  is  to  probe  all 


design  since  it  has  flexible  operating  systems  and  com- 
patibility to  S-100  add  ons. 

THE  MARKET 

Vector  is  primarily  addressing  the  small  business 
market  while  at  the  same  time  providing  high  quality 
supplemental  boards  to  the  S-100  bus  user  market. 

Vector  works  through  OEMs  and  a dealer  network  whom 
they  rely  on  to  provide  the  level  of  service  to  the  end  user. 
As  Bob  Harp  put  it:  “we  really  can’t  afford  to  provide  a 
hand  holding  operation  to  the  businessman,  but  we  do 
make  every  effort  to  make  sure  that  our  dealers  have  suf- 
ficient information  and  understanding  of  the  MZ  system 
to  provide  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  end  user.” 

The  marketing  and  general  administrative  functions 
of  Vector  Graphic  is  handled  by  Lore  Harp  and  Carole 
Ely.  Between  them  they  concentrate  on  ensuring  that 
production  and  shipping  schedules  are  met  and  that 
dealers  are  kept  aprised  of  new  developments. 

OTHER  DEVELOPMENTS 

Along  with  the  MZ  system,  Vector  Graphic  offers  the 
Hazeltine  terminal  to  round  out  the  system.  However, 


facets  of  micro  capabilities  and  develop  useful  devices 
and  techniques  that  further  enhance  the  micro  as  a busi- 
ness system  and  ultimately  the  industry. 

WHERE  THEY  ARE  GOING 

Vector  Graphic  is  now  into  their  third  year  of  opera- 
tion and  have  not  found  a limit  to  their  possibilities.  Bob 
Harp  feels  that  with  1.75  million  small  businesses  in  the 
country  today  their  growth  is  assured.  He  also  feels  that 
companies  like  IBM  and  DEC  are  headed  toward  obso- 
lescence due  to  technology  advances.  By  this  he  means 
that  as  newer  and  faster  chips  are  developed,  with 
greater  system  capabilities,  companies  like  his  can 
quickly  provide  the  finished  product.  Systems  like  the 
MZ,  he  feels,  will  not  really  become  obsolete  since  all 
that  will  be  necessary  to  change,  in  most  cases,  will  be 
the  CPU  board.  However,  to  a company  like  IBM  a change 
to  a different  technology  means  a massive  change  in  the 
total  system. 

Bob’s  outlooks  are  not  unlike  many  others  in  the 
microcomputer  industry  and  goes  to  prove  that  micros 
are  here  to  stay.  Also  that  systems  such  as  the  MZ  will 
have  a major  piece  of  the  total  market  share.  □ 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  73 


A 

SOCIAL  FUNCTION 

APPROX!/ 

HATION  METHOD 

A»  ITS  l 

WPPDJCATION 

By  Dr.  Endre  Simonyi 

Office  of  Consulting  Engineers  on  Judicial  Matters 
Budapest,  Hungary 


It  very  often  happens  in  the  engineering  practice  that 
one  must  calculate  with  functions  available  in  tabulated 
form.  In  calculations  by  computer  connected  with  stor- 
ing the  table  in  the  memory  of  the  computer,  the  follow- 
ing problems  arise: 

•If  storing  happens  in  the  inner  memory,  the  table 
takes  up  a great  part  of  the  inner  memory,  and  thus 
little  place  remains  for  storing  the  program  and 
other  data. 

•Because  of  the  relatively  considerable  access  time 
of  the  background  memory,  when  storing  in  the  back- 
ground memory  the  use  of  the  table  increases  the 
running  time  of  the  program  significantly. 

In  the  case  of  both  solutions,  however,  handling  the 
table  is  an  uncomfortable  task  which  can  only  be  real- 
ized with  difficulty,  especially  If  the  number  of  the 
variables  is  higher  than  two  (i.e.  the  table  is  more  than 
two  dimensional  matrix). 

Because  of  these  problems,  users  strive  to  avoid  stor- 
ing in  the  tabulated  form  where  possible.  That  solution 
could  be  applied  in  several  cases  where  the  table  would 
be  substituted  by  an  approximate  function  of  satisfac- 
tory accuracy  at  which  the  approximate  function  could 
be  produced  by  relatively  few  program  steps  and  rela- 
tively little  machine  time. 

Also,  an  approximate  function  must  be  frequently 
composed  from  the  description  of  a mass  of  facts  from 
some  measurement  result. 

Essentially,  both  works  can  be  attributed  to  determi- 
nation of  approximate  functions.  For  producing  these 
functions,  certain  programs  which  attempt  the  approxi- 
mation by  a definite  function  type  are  very  much  in  use. 
If  the  approximation  is  not  of  sufficient  accuracy,  they 
attempt  by  another  program  and  another  function  type 
again.  The  set  of  function  types  is  only  some  functions, 
and  trying  them  is  not  automatic  either.  In  many  cases 
we  do  not  succeed  in  achieving  a satisfactory  accuracy. 

Solving  this  task  is  especially  difficult  when  the 
capacity  of  the  computer  available  is  low,  or  its  operat- 
ing velocity  is  slight.  In  this  case  storing  different  pro- 
grams which  belong  to  different  functions  cannot  be 
solved  simultaneously,  and  the  fulfillment  of  the  re- 
peated trials  slackens  the  process  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  becomes  practically  unrealizable. 

We  do  not  review  the  programs  of  certain  firms  which 
are  related  to  this  article.  We  refer  only  to  the  literature.' 5 
We  want  to  remark  only  that  functions  which  are  used  to 
produce  an  approximate  function  are  the  following: 

•linear,  parabolic,  exponential,  hyperbolic,  ellipse  type. 


Harold  Balaban  worked  out  a special  solution.4  The  solu- 
tion contains  certain  elements  of  our  program  which  is 
why  we  deal  with  it  in  detail. 

The  model  used  is  a so-called  general  linear  regres- 
sion model, 

g/Y/  = b + mf/X/, 

and  the  program  also  calculates  the  value  of  the  regres- 
sion coefficient  Irl,  in  addition  to  the  determination  of  b 
and  m.  The  program  tries  the  following  cases  auto- 
matically: 

g/Y/  = f/X/  = linear 
f/X/  = SQR/X/, 
f/X/  = In/X/, 
f/X/  = l/X, 

g/Y/  = In/Y/;  f/X/  = In/X/, 
g/Y/  = In/Y/, 

and  the  maximum  number  of  points  is  10.  The  SQR 
designation  means  the  squaring.  After  giving  in  the  data 
the  program  prints  out  the  b,  m,  and  r values  belonging 
to  the  6 functions  automatically  without  setting  up  any 
graduation.  This  method  is  an  advantage  in  comparison 
with  the  traditional  solutions  since  it  is  not  necessary  to 
feed  the  data  again,  function  by  function.  However,  the 
function  choice  consists  of  six  kinds  of  functions  al- 
together; the  number  of  variables  is  two,  and  the  number 
of  the  data  is  considerably  limited.  Neither  the  number 
of  the  variables  nor  the  function  is  the  user's  task. 

The  application  of  our  program  packet  has  the  follow- 
ing advantages: 

•Trying  over  the  functions  is  automatic.  Hence,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  feed  in  the  data  again. 

•The  number  of  functions  tried  over  automatically  is 
maximum  1296. 

•Selecting  the  "best"  function  occurs  automatically. 
•The  number  of  the  data  is  not  so  severely  limited  as 
in  the  case  of  the  program  reported  previously. 

Its  limit  is  restricted  by  the  extent  of  the  inner  (if  it 
is  available)  or  background  memory  of  the  machine. 

One  special  advantage  of  this  program  packet  is  the 
relative  ease  in  which  it  is  generalized,  and  this  means 
the  number  and  kind  of  functions  can  be  changed  (in- 
creased), the  number  of  variables  can  be  increased,  and 
the  data  number  permitted  can  be  increased  by  the  ap- 
plication of  background  memory.  Naturally  it  is  neces- 
sary to  take  the  increase  of  the  operating  time  into  con- 
sideration, too. 


74  INTERFACE  AOE 


OCTOBER  1978 


In  the  case  of  two  variables,  the  program  uses  the  fol- 
lowing relation  for  producing  the  approximate  function: 

G/y/  = b + mf  Ixl 

where  f/  /,  gl  I mean  some  kind  of  function  selected 
from  the  function  set  in  the  program.  The  program  deter- 
mines the  values  of  b and  m to  a certain  f,  g pair  by 
means  of  the  known  square-error  minimum  method.  It  is 
a substantial  deviation,  however,  that  the  formula  to  be 
minimized  is  as  follows: 

_ 2 

b + mf/Xj/ 

1 - = min!  / 1/ 

g/yj/ 

At  the  same  time  it  determines  a quantity  which  serves 
for  characterizing  the  errors.  The  determination  of  the 
“best”  function  approximation  occurs  in  such  a manner 
that  the  program  selects  an  f,  g function  pair  automatic- 
ally from  the  function  form  set  available.  It  also  per- 
forms the  determination  of  the  constants  by  each  func- 
tion pairs  and  the  value  of  a quantity  serving  for  the 
characterization  of  the  errors  quoted  by  S in  the  follow- 
ing. It  selects  the  function  form  which  can  be  character- 
ized by  the  least  error  by  comparing  the  S values. 

The  necessary  operating  time: 

T = bntmb  121 

where  b is  the  number  of  the  variables  (independent  and 
dependent  variables);  n is  the  number  of  data  points;  m 
is  the  kind  of  number  of  the  function  forms  in  the  func- 
tion set;  t is  a constant  depending  on  the  machine  type 
and  the  program. 

The  following  relation  defines  the  quantity  serving  for 
the  characterization  of  the  values  of  the  errors: 


The  s-error  function  is  characteristic  of  the  mean  error. 
The  greater  its  value,  the  bigger  is  the  mean  error,  so  we 
look  for  the  minimum  of  this  function. 

These  programs  are  four  variants: 

•two  variables  /BASIC-4K/, 

•two  variables  /BASIC-8K/, 

•four  variables, 

•two  variables  and  one  parameter. 


FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  WITH 
TWO  VARIABLES  /BASIC-4K/ 

The  program: 

Line  2-55:  Erase  of  the  screen;  print  of  the  heading 

and  legend. 

Line  60:  If  the  memory  is  4K  byte  upon  the  BASIC 

interpreter,  then 

Nmax  = 65 

If  your  memory  is  bigger  than  4K  byte, 
then  you  may  want  to  modify  this  line. 
Line  70:  Input  number  of  data  points 

Line  80:  Print  heading  of  the  data  columns 

Line  90-120:  Input,  store  and  print  of  the  data 
Line  130-145:  Initializing  of  the  value  of  the  constants. 

The  function  is  “good"  in  this  variant  if 

3xE-2 

S < 

N 


Line  146-151:  Compute  and  store  the  value  of 
*maxi  xmin!  Ymax:  Ymin- 

Line  152-155:  Transform  of  the  value  of  x,y.  The  new 
values  are: 

0 < /x.y/  < = 1 


The  equations  are: 


xnew  _ 


x'xmin  + 1 
xmax'xmin+  1 


y-ymin+1 

ynew  - 

ymax‘ymin+  1 

Line  160-180:  Compute  of  the  serial  number  of  the  func- 
tion pair. 

Line  190-270:  Compute  of  the  value  of  F/xj/,  G/yi/  with 
the  subroutines  from  the  line  500.  Store  of 
the  value  of  FI  I,  Gl  I. 

Line  280-320:  Compute  of  the  value  of  the  invalid  variable. 

Line  340-350:  Compute  of  the  value  of  A,B-constants. 

Line  360:  Compute  of  the  value  SJ  x NT  This  line  is 

indexed  “S". 

Line  370:  Is  the  new  function  form  "better”  than 

old?  If  yes,  then  go  to  430. 

Line  380:  If  no,  then:  Is  not  more  function  form?  Yes 

or  no;  If  yes,  then  go  to  160 


Mmax  = 100 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  75 


Line  390-415:  Compute  and  print  of  the  results  and  the 
name  of  the  "good"  function. 


Line  430-470: 
Line  480: 

Line  490: 
Line  500-860: 
Line  515-530: 
Line  541-549: 


Line  550-560: 
Line  570-590: 
Line  600-616: 
Line  630-650: 
Line  660-680: 


Line  690-710: 
Line  750-820: 
Line  830-860: 


Store  of  the  new  constants. 

Is  the  function  form  “good"?  Yes  or  no?  If 
yes,  then  go  to  390. 

If  no,  then  go  to  380. 

Compute  of  the  value  of  the  functions. 
COS / /-subroutine 
SIN  / /-subroutine. 

If 

P>  = n/4, 

then 

COS/P/  = SIN/"  • PI 
and 

SIN/P/  = COS/g-P/ 

Linear  function. 

Parabolic  function. 

LOG  / /-subroutine. 

EXP/  /-subroutine. 

Compute  of  the  square-root  with  the  fol- 
lowing equation: 

SQR/X/  = EXP  / 

Reciprocal  function. 

ASIN  / /-subroutine. 

Compute  of  the  ACOS / 
the  following  equation: 


LOG  /X/  , 

2 ' 

/-function  with 


ACOS/X/  = 2 ‘ ASIN/X/ 
The  mean  error  of  these  subroutines: 


~ 0.02% 


The  computing  time  is: 

T ~ 10  x N /minute 
The  machine  was  a SWTPC-6800. 

FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  WITH 
TWO  VARIABLES  /BASIC-8K/ 


The  program  is  40%  shorter  than  the  4K-variant.  The 
computing  time  is: 

T ~ 3 x N /minute/ 


If  the  memory  is  4 Kbyte  upon  the  BASIC-interpreter,  then: 
Nmax  = 80- 

The  program: 

Line  2-230:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

Line  240:  The  name  of  the  function  is  a string  variable. 

Line  250-350:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

Line  360:  Compute  of  the  value  "S". 

Line  370-390:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

Line  400-420:  Print  of  the  name  of  the  functions  is  only 
one  line.  (25  lines  are  in  the  4K-variant). 
Line  430-450:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

Line  460-470:  The  name  of  the  functions  are  strings. 
Line  480-500:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

Line  520-710:  In  this  version  is  not  subroutine  for 
COS  / /,  SIN  / /,  LOG  / /,  EXP  / /, 
SQR / /.  This  part  has  23  lines.  (53  lines 
are  in  the  4K-version.) 

Line  750-860:  Is  not  different  from  the  4K-variant. 

FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  WITH 
FOUR  VARIABLES 


A detailed  review  of  the  program  will  not  be  described 
herein.  Figure  1 illustrates  a simplified  flow  chart.  In  the 
figure  are: 

1.  data  acquisition,  store; 

2.  initializing  of  the  inner  constants, 


®o^®o  — 1/,smin  ^nd  M/Mq  — 1, 

M-serlal  number  of  the  constants  of  the  function 
form; 

3.  computation  of  the  constants  of  the  linearized  sys- 
tem of  equations; 

4.  solution  of  the  linear  system  of  equations; 

5.  computation  of  the  error  function  ISI; 

6.  initialization  of  the  inner  constants; 

7.  printout  of  the  best  function  form  and  printout  of 
the  values  of  the  constants  of  the  function;  and 

8.  storage  of  the  best  function  form,  SQ,  and  storage 
of  the  values  of  the  constants  of  the  function. 

This  version  is  good  on  a rapid  machine  only  because 
the  machine  time  is  high.  For  example: 

T ~ .5  x N /hour/ 
was  on  a Wang  2200  B. 

FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  WITH 
TWO  VARIABLES  AND  ONE  PARAMETER 

The  problem  is  the  following:  Let  us  look  at  some  of 
the  serial  data  points  and 


y = f lx, at 

where  x,y-variables,  o-parameter  of  serial,  and  we  should 
like  to  get 


76  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


PROGRAM  LISTING 


G/y/  = Alai  + Bid  x F/x/ 

approximation  function  with  “good”  S-value  for  all  serial. 

An  example:  Function  of  the  electrical  resistivity  from 
the  temperature: 

R = f/T,  kind  of  substance 
We  search 

G/R/  = A + B x F/T/ 

functions,  where  A,B-functions  of  the  kind  of 
substance.  A result  is  the  well  known 

R = R0  x /I  + a x A T/ 

where 

A = R0  x /I  + TqI 

B = a x R0 

G I I = FI  I = linear. 

My  recent  method  connected  with  the  generalized 
function  approximation  program  drastically  reduces  the 
theoretical  work  required  for  setting  up  the  approx- 
imating functions  usable  in  practice.  The  method 
described  by  our  newest  program  is  as  follows: 

/a/  Measurement  data  which  is  to  be  described  by  the 
relation  sought  is  input. 

/b/  The  program  then  chooses  the  "good"  function 
forms.  A function  is  “good”  which  produces  a 
greater  accuracy  than  that  given  beforehand.  The 
computer  stores  these  function  forms  together 
with  the  error  values  and  the  constants  which 
belong  to  the  function  forms  and  the  measure- 
ment data,  respectively. 

Id  Data  belonging  to  the  next  type  of  substance  is  in- 
put. 

/d/  The  program  then  investigates  the  function  forms 
found  to  be  “good”  for  the  first  substance  type.  It 
selects  those  from  the  ones  which  give  a "good” 
value  for  this  material.  The  stored  data  are  identi- 
cal with  the  data  described  in  Ibl.  We  then  repeat 
those  written  in  the  Id  and  Idl  for  all  substance 
types. 

lei  Finally,  the  value  of  the  constants  and  the  errors 
belonging  to  the  single  measurement  data  for  all 
the  materials  are  calculated. 

Thus,  setting  up  an  approximating  function  simplifies 
into  feeding  in  the  measurement  data  and  reading  the 
result.  We  do  not  review  the  application  of  the  programs; 
we  refer  only  to  the  literature.^'.D 

REFERENCES 

'520/600  Series  Vol.  1.  General  Library  Wang  Laboratories,  Inc. 
1972. 

1000-2-ST3,  1001-2-ST3,  1002-2-ST3,  1004-2-ST3,  1005-2-ST3 
Programs. 

’TEK-31  Statistics  Program  Library  Section  4 Curve  Fitting 
4-1,  4-2,  4-3,  4-4,  4-5  Programs. 

’Handbook  of  Quality  Control  Programs.  Litton  Business  Sys- 
tems Inc.  1972.  4022MS,  2006MS  Programs. 

'SWAP  Program  Library  1974.  S.  199-7.8. 

’Racz  V.,  and  Simonyi  E.:  Some  Applications  of  the  Program- 
mable Desk-top  Calculators  in  the  Clinical  Laboratories.  IMSZI 
Kozlemenyek  1974.  11.1. 

•E.  Simonyi:  A Special  Function  Approximation  Method  and  Its 
Application  in  Chemical  Engineering  Processes.  IMSZI  Scien- 
tific Publications  5.  1975. 

'Uzsoki-Simonyi-Varnay:  IMSZI  111/73.  szakvelemeny  1973. 
nov.  (In  Hungarian) 

•Varadi-Simonyi-Serege:  IMSZI  206/1974.  sz.  szakvelemeny 
1975.  maj.  (In  Hungarian) 

*E.  Simonyi:  A Special  Function  Approximation  Method  and  Its 
Application.  March  1977,  Vol.  11,  No.  1,  12-15. 


000Z  REM 

0005  PRINT  TAB  CHR»(  16) , CHRK22) 

0010  PRINT  TAB<13>,  FUNCTION  APPROXIMATION  WITH  TUO  VARIABLES 
0020  PRINT 

0030  PRINT  FUNCTION  FORM:  C < Y ) =A*0«F < X ) 


0031  PRINT 

0040  PRINT 

0041  PRINT 
0045  PRINT 
0050  PRINT 

005S  PRINT  ..  

0060  DIM  X(80), Yt80> 
0070  INPUT  N 
0080  PRINT  X , T 
0090  FOR  1*1  TON 
0100  INPUT  X<X),Y<X) 
0110  PRINT  XtD.Ytl) 
0120  NEXT  I 


WHERE:  C<  >,F<  1-FUNCTIONS 
X, Y-VARI ABLES 
A, D-CONSTANTS 

RELATIVE  STANDARD  ERROR:  S"SQR(SUM( 1-(B«X»A)/Y> t2)/N 
N-NUMBER  OF  DATA  POINTS 


0130  SO-1 

0140  M-0 

0141  S1-1E-3 

0142  Xl=l 

0143  X2-0 

0144  Yl«l 

0145  Y2-0 

0146  FOR  I-1T0N 

0147  IF  X(I)  XlTHENXlfX(I) 

0148  IF  X<I>- X2THENX2-X(I> 

0149  IF  Y( I ) 'Y1THENY1* Y( I > 

0150  IF  YC I > Y2THENY2-Y(I > 

0151  NEXT  I 

0152  FOR  1 = 1 TON 

0153  X(X>-CX<X)-X1+1>/CX2-X1+1> 

0154  Y(X>«(YCX)-Y!M)/(Y2-Y2M) 

0155  NEXT  I 
0160  H«MM 

0170  Jl-M-10»INTC<M-l)/10> 

0180  J2»1MNT(<M-1>/10> 

0190  FOR  I*»l  TON 
0200  P«X(I) 

0210  J»J1 
0220  GOSUB  500 
0230  U-P 
0240  0*=H» 

0250  P-Y(I> 

0260  J*J2 
0270  G0SU8  500 

0272  IF  APS<P>  IE-20  THEN  P=lE-20 
0274  IF  ABS(U)' 1E10  THEN  U-1E10 
0280  C1=C1*U/(P»P> 

0290  C2=C2*<U"U>/(P»P> 

0300  C3°C3*U/P 
0310  C4-C4M/P 
0320  C5»CSM/<P«P> 

0330  NEXT  I 

0335  IF  CS«C2*C1«C1  THEN  CS"CS*1. 0000001 
0340  01-(C5«C3-C1»C4)/<C5«C2-C1*C1 > 

0350  A1«(C4-D1»C1)/C5 


0360  S=SQR( ABS<N-2*B1 *C3>D1 "B1 "C2-2*A1 "C4*2*Al BB1 "Cl *A1"A1"CS>  >/ 
N 

0370  IF  S<S0THEN430 
0380  IF  M >100THEN160 

0390  PRINT  N»  ; Nf  A»  : A,  B»  ;p,  S=  ; SO 
0400  PRINT  F ( >»  .Ft,  G<  >•  ; G* 

0420  STOP 
0430  SO-S 
0440  A»A1 
04S0  0-81 
0460  F»«D1 
0470  Gt-H* 

0480  IF  SO  SI THEN390 
0490  COTO  380 

0500  ON  J C0SUB520, 542, 550, 570, 600, 630, 660, 690. 750. B30 
0510  RETURN 
0S20  H*«  C0S(  ) 

0530  P-C0S<P) 

0540  RETURN 
0542  H*»  SIN(  ) 

0544  F=SIN(P) 

0546  RETURN 
0550  Ht»  ( ) 

0560  RETURN 
0570  Ht-  ( >t2 
0580  P=P»P 
0590  RETURN 
0600  Hf-  L0C(  > 

0610  P-LOC(P) 

0620  RETURN 
0630  Hi*  EXPt  ) 

0640  P*EXP(P> 

0650  RETURN 
0660  H»*  SORt  > 

0670  P-SOR(P) 

0680  RETURN 
0690  H$ ■ l/<  ) 

0700  P«l/P 
0710  RETURN 
0750  Ht*  ACOSt  > 

0760  K-9 
0770  L»P 
0775  0-0 
0780  FOR  R»2TQK 

0790  L=t  <2*R-3)*(2BR-3>*P*P*L)/< (2*R-2)*(2BR-1 > J 

0800  0»0»L 

0810  NEXT  R 

0815  P«0*P 

0820  RETURN 

0830  H4-  AS  IN ( > 

0840  GOSU0760 
0850  P=3S5/226-P 
0860  RETURN 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  77 


The  Auto  Industry 


By  Robert  S.  Koster,  M.B.A 
and  Leslie  D.  Ball,  Ph.D. 


During 
the  last  sev- 
eral  years  the 
automobile  has 
changed  dramati- 
cally. The  changes 
have  occurred  as  a 
result  of  increases  in 


incor- 


government  regulation  which 

impact  on  the  performance  of  the  vehicle. 

To  a lesser  extent,  changes  in  American  driving 
habits  have  caused  some  of  the  changes  to  occur. 

While  the  automobile  has  changed,  so  have  compu- 
ters. In  the  early  1950’s,  several  automobiles  might  fit  in- 
side of  a computer,  while  today  several  computers  would 
be  easily  placed  inside  of  an  automobile.  Computer 
technology  has  moved  to  miniaturization  and  has  in- 
creased the  areas  in  which  they  might  be  employed. 

It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  the  automotive  industry 
has  looked  to  computers  to  assist  them  in  meeting 
government  regulations.  In  this  article  the  authors 
describe  microprocessors  which  are  the  technology 
that  allows  the  automotive  industry  to  incorporate  com- 
puters in  current  and  future  designs.  In  addition,  the 
authors  review  what  those  current  uses  of  microproces- 
sors are  and  how  we  might  expect  the  automotive  in- 
dustry to  employ  them  in  the  future. 

WHAT  ARE  MICROPROCESSORS? 

A microprocessor  is  the  central  processing  unit  (CPU)  of 
a computer,  reduced  in  size  to  fit  on  a single  silicon  chip. 
Its  functions,  like  those  of  a larger  CPU,  are  to  receive 
data,  store  it  for  processing,  perform  arithmetic  and  logic 
operations,  and  to  output  results.  With  the  addition  of 
some  input/output  chips  and  more  memory,  a micropro- 
cessor is  transformed  into  a microcomputer.  The  distinc- 
tion between  a processor  and  a computer  is  often  blurred, 
and  frequently,  the  terms  are  used  synonymously. 

The  microprocessor  owes  its  existence  to  the  technol- 
ogy of  large  scale  integration.  This  technology  allows  the 


poration  of 
thousands  of  electronic 
components  in  the  space  for- 
merly occupied  by  only  one  or  two  com- 
ponents. Like  many  of  its  predecessors,  such  as 
transistors,  the  microprocessor  is  being  hailed  as  one  in 
the  chain  of  electronic  miracles  that  has  and  will  con- 
tinue to  have  a profound  influence  on  our  lives.  Because 
they  are  so  small  and  inexpensive,  the  microprocessor  is 
being  used  in  many  previously  unheard  of  applications 
from  intelligent  instruments  to  electronic  games. 

For  many  applications,  the  value  of  a microprocessor 
is  the  built-in  control  function  that  it  can  add.  It  can  pro- 
vide a very  sophisticated,  yet  inexpensive,  feedback 
loop  which  allows  it  to  be  incorporated  into  many  non- 
computing devices. 

Also,  since  the  microprocessor  serves  as  the  guts  of  a 
microcomputer,  it  can  bring  computing  down  to  a highly 
decentralized  or  distributive  system.  In  these  systems, 
each  user  can  have  his  own  computer  and  data  base 
which  communicate  with  each  other  rather  than  just 
employing  terminals  tied  to  a large  computer.  The  use  of 
microcomputers  can  certainly  be  compared  to  the  history 
of  electronic  calculators  since  as  the  cost  is  reduced, 
their  use  and  importance  will  increase  significantly. 

WHY  MICROPROCESSORS  AND  AUTOMOBILES? 

In  automobiles,  microprocessor  use  can  be  most  easily 
traced  to  the  government  mandate  that  motor  vehicles 
meet  very  strict  emissions  and  fuel  economy  standards. 
While  the  regulation  of  either  pollution  or  economy  may 
not  have  individually  pushed  the  automotive  engineers 


78  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


complying 
with  all  emission 

control  requirements.  This  system  has  four  sensors  that 
input  crankshaft  position,  manifold  vacuum,  coolant  temp- 
erature. and  reference  timing.  As  these  inputs  do  not  tax 
the  capacity  of  the  microprocessor,  other  control  func- 
tions could  be  added  to  the  system  later.' 

Ford  will  introduce  a microprocessor  system  in  its 
Versailles  V8  5-litre  engine  to  control  spark  timing  and 
exhaust  gas  recirculation.  Buick  has  introduced  a closed 
loop  knock-limiting  system  on  their  1978  V6  Turbo- 
charged 3.8-litre  engine.  The  Buick  system  is  an  analog 
system  which  employs  one  sensor  that  actually  hears 
engine  detonation  and  sends  a signal  to  retard  the 
spark.  This  system  is  quite  different  from  the  micropro- 
cessor systems  because  it  functions  only  as  a knock 
limiter  and  has  no  other  control  features.1 

Chrysler  is  presently  developing  a microprocessor  to 
replace  its  present  analog  lean  burn  spark  timing  system. 
The  system,  developed  for  Chrysler  by  Texas  Instru- 
ments, Inc.  and  RCA  Corporation,  accepts  data  from 
several  different  inputs  to  control  emissions.  These  in- 
puts are:  ambient  air  temperature,  throttle  position, 
throttle  rate  of  change  of  position,  crankshaft  position, 
intake  manifold  vacuum,  engine  coolant  temperature, 
and  inlet  air  temperature.3  The  microprocessor  digests 
the  information  and  adjusts  the  timing  accordingly. 
Mechanical  means  do  not  provide  for  this  level  of  con- 
trol. but  until  quite  recently,  there  had  been  no  motiva- 
tion to  precisely  control  spark  timing. 

The  microprocessor  does  not  actually  perform  engine 
timing;  it  merely  maintains  it  at  optimum  levels.  This  is  a 
large  distinction.  When  the  microprocessor  acts  as  a 
monitor  of  engine  performance,  its  failure  would  not 
prevent  the  engine  from  operating.  It  would  only  reduce 
its  performance  to  that  achieved  from  mechanical  con- 
trol. If  the  microprocessor  performed  the  engine  timing, 
a failure  would  prevent  the  engine  from  working. 

This  monitoring  function  also  greatly  reduces  the 
amount  of  data  that  the  microprocessor  must  process. 
As  a monitor,  it  is  only  comparing  actual  performance 
with  the  ideal  and  making  corrections.  This  function  re- 
quires only  a few  commands  every  second,  rather  than  the 
hundreds  required  if  it  actually  performed  the  function. 

SENSOR  TECHNOLOGY 

Electronic  engine  control  systems  depend  on  sensors 
to  measure  environmental  factors  and  report  this  infor- 


to  microproces- 
sors, the  combina- 
tion of  these  two  contradic- 
tory goals  has  required  a degree 
of  control  that  is  not  possible  with 
previously  employed  mechanical  means. 

The  microprocessor  provides  the  feedback  mech- 
anism to  insure  that  the  engine  is  running  at  the  effi- 
ciency level  necessary  to  comply  with  government  stan- 
dards. Because  the  microprocessor  is  constantly  finetun- 
ing  the  engine,  it  can  maintain  optimal  performance,  even 
as  parts  are  wearing  and  the  environmental  conditions  are 
changing.  This  heuristic  feature  is  significant  because 
government  regulations  are  leaning  to  maintaining  stan- 
dards rather  than  just  meeting  them  at  the  time  of  sale. 

While  it  might  be  unfair  to  give  the  federal  govern- 
ment all  the  credit  for  the  use  of  microprocessors  in 
automobiles,  it  is  quite  unlikely  that  computer  technol- 
ogy would  be  finding  its  way  into  cars  so  quickly  with- 
out government  action.  This  is  especially  true  since 
minimizing  engine  emissions  is  not  cost  reducing  or  in- 
herently marketable.  Without  strict  government  regula- 
tion, microprocessors  would  slowly  find  their  way  into 
luxury  vehicles  for  driver  convenience  and  comfort.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  as  costs  were  reduced  and  more  ap- 
plications discovered,  that  microprocessors  would  find 
their  way  into  cars  in  many  different  functions.  What  the 
government  has  done  is  to  accelerate  development  and 
concentrate  that  development  in  areas  believed  by  Con- 
gress to  be  important. 

IGNITION  SYSTEMS 


Although  computer  technology  will  find  its  way  into 
many  automotive  systems  in  the  future,  the  most  imme- 
diat  application  is  the  ignition  system.  The  Oldsmobile 
Toronado  is  the  only  production  automobile  currently 
equipped  with  a microprocessor.  By  1981,  the  year  of 
stringent  emissions  controls,  the  use  of  microproces- 
sors will  be  widespread. 

The  general  function  that  a microprocessor  will  per- 
form is  to  control  the  timing  of  the  spark.  The  Delco- 
Remy  Microprocessed  Sending  and  Automatic  Regula- 
tion System  offered  in  *he  Oldsmobile  does  what  its 
name  implies.  It  will  cor  ol  spark  timing  for  all  load  and 
speed  conditions  consistent  with  driveability  while 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  79 


i 


mation  back  to  the  control  unit.  Since  the  sensors 
measure,  they  are  analog  in  nature.  This  analog  signal 
must  be  converted  into  digital  form  in  order  to  be  pro- 
cessed by  the  microprocessor.  A special  interface  cir- 
cuit translates  the  sensor’s  analog  signal  into  the  micro- 
processor’s digital  language.  Design  of  this  interface  is 
critical  because  anticipated  changes  in  the  sensor  must 
be  incorporated  into  the  microprocessor  chip. 

While  technology  in  digital  circuits  is  constantly  re- 
ducing microprocessor  costs,  similar  advances  in  sen- 
sor design  must  be  accomplished  to  reduce  total  sys- 
tem costs  to  levels  acceptable  to  the  automotive  indus- 
try. As  all  microprocessor  based  engine  control  requires 
sensors  to  gather  information,  the  limiting  factor  is  the 
cost  and  reliability  of  the  necessary  sensors  and  not 
microprocessor  considerations.4 

Automotive  sensors  measure  five  different  functions: 
temperature,  pressure,  position,  fluid  flow,  and  environ- 
mental factors.  Temperature  sensors  are  the  most  wide- 
spread and  are  used  to  measure  air,  coolant,  exhaust, 
oil,  and  catalyst  temperature.  Pressure  sensors  report 
on  manifold,  barometric,  or  brake  line  pressure.  Position 
sensors  are  used  in  the  distributor  and  measure  crank- 
shaft and  accelerator  throttle  position.  Fluid  flow  sen- 
sors are  employed  to  monitor  fuel  consumption  or  oil 
circulation.  Environmental  sensors  measure  humidity 
and  gas  composition  and  are  used  in  both  spark  timing 
and  emission  control. 

Specific  problems  with  each  type  of  sensor  vary,  but 
many  suffer  in  environments  of  extreme  temperature 
and  extreme  vibration.  In  addition,  most  are  costly. 
Many  sensors  require  external  devices  to  function  pro- 
perly. Until  the  reliability  and  cost  factors  can  be  solved, 
sensors  will  be  the  limiting  factor  in  microprocessed 
engine  control. 

ADDITIONAL  PROBLEMS 

The  automotive  environment  provides  unique  problems 
for  electronic  devices.  The  engine  compartment  is  partic- 
ularly harsh  since  temperature  ranges  from  -40C  to  120C, 
humidity  from  O.lg/kg  to  200g/kg,  corrosive  and  contami- 
nating liquids  are  present,  and  vibration,  shock,  and 
high  electromagnetic  impulses  all  must  be  considered. 

In  the  Oldsmobile,  engineers  decided  that  the  best  solu- 
tion was  to  locate  the  microprocessor  in  the  passenger 
compartment.  This  solves  one  problem  but  requires  ex- 
pensive wiring.  The  Chrysler  microprocessor  is  located 
in  the  engine  compartment,  next  to  the  air  cleaner. 

A major  decision  facing  the  engineers  is  the  trade-off 
between  a general  purpose  or  a specific  application 
microprocessor.  The  anticipated  production  volume  by 
the  auto  makers  make  the  development  costs  of  a specific 
or  dedicated  microprocessor  cost  effective.  The  Delco / 
Remy  and  the  TI/RCA  units  that  are  currently  in  develop- 
ment or  use  do  not  employ  dedicated  microprocessors. 
The  primary  reason  is  that  these  are  the  first  systems  to 
be  used  in  this  application,  and  there  has  not  been  the 
time  or  the  money  to  develop  a custom  tailored  unit  so 
quickly.  Also,  these  systems  are  at  the  forefront  of  both 
computer  and  automotive  technology,  and  the  engi- 
neers have  not  clearly  defined  their  needs.  In  addition,  it 
is  not  clear  that  the  semiconductor  industry  could  pro- 
duce a chip  to  the  automotive  engineers'  specifications. 

The  problem  is  further  complicated  because  the  tech- 
nologies and  requirements  are  constantly  changing.  The 
automotive  manufacturers  want  workable  systems  now 
but  expect  to  continually  make  changes  to  reduce  cost 
and  increase  efficiency.  By  the  mid  1980’s  nearly  every 
American  car  will  contain  one  or  more  microprocessors.5 
Therefore,  the  potential  volume  is  ten  million  units  per 
year  or  more.  The  microprocessor  industry  is  willing  to 
cater  to  the  needs  of  the  automobile  industry,  but  until 


more  systems  are  put  into  use,  specific  industry  needs 
will  remain  uncertain. 

SOFTWARE  AND  TESTING  CONSIDERATIONS 

Development  costs  fall  into  three  categories:  hard- 
ware, software,  and  testing.  In  addition  to  the  hardware 
problems,  which  have  already  been  presented,  software 
presents  some  unique  problems. 

Microprocessors  have  two  types  of  memories,  random 
access  memory  (RAM),  and  programmable  read  only 
memory  (PROM).  Instructions  consist  of  a fixed  pattern 
of  binary  word  patterns.  Some  instructions  are  perma- 
nently introduced  into  the  microprocessor  at  the  time 
that  the  chip  is  manufactured.  Other  instructions  are  in- 
troduced into  the  PROM  at  the  final  stage  of  automobile 
manufacture. 

Employing  these  two  methods,  a manufacturer  might 
have  a microprocessor  developed  for  all  of  its  cars  that 
uses  the  same  basic  set  of  instructions.  Later  a specific 
set  of  instructions  could  be  added  that  would  contain  all 
the  specific  information  relating  to  the  specific  engine, 
model,  and  options  that  characterize  a particular  car. 
The  dealer  or  service  center  could  also  alter  some  par- 
ticular instruction  in  order  to  correct  an  existing  prob- 
lem or  to  upgrade  a system  in  an  existing  vehicle.  All  the 
instructions  coded  into  the  PROM  are  considered  the 
software  of  the  system  and,  as  such,  would  have  to  be 
tested  and  documented. 


If  the  auto  industry 
were  to  meet  strict  standards 
by  mechanical  means,  maintenance 
requirements  would  be  more 
expensive  as  automobiles 
would  require  more  servicing  to 
meet  the  same  standards. 


The  testing  function  involves  more  than  just  testing 
the  microprocessor.  It  involves  insuring  that  the  entire 
system  and  the  vehicle  that  it  is  installed  in  are  working 
properly. 

Government  legislation  and  product  liability  are  also 
important  testing  factors.  The  EPA  requires  that  auto 
manufacturers  provide  proof  that  their  vehicles  are  built 
to  maintain  certain  levels  of  emission  control  for  a spe- 
cific number  of  miles  or  years.  Future  legislation  is  like- 
ly to  be  more  stringent  and  include  areas  of  safety  and 
economy  considerations. 

OTHER  USES  OF  MICROPROCESSORS 

The  use  of  microprocessors  in  automobiles  is  not 
limited  to  ignition  systems.  Other  areas  under  develop- 
ment include:  cylinder  selection,  fuel  consumption  in- 
dicator, fuel  injection,  and  transmission  control,  all  of 
which  can  be  considered  to  be  emissions  and  economy 
considerations.  Some  of  these  can  be  incorporated  into 
an  ignition  control  system.  For  example,  cylinder  selec- 
tion involves  varying  the  number  of  cylinders  employed 
at  any  one  time  to  maximize  fuel  economy  at  different 
levels  of  speed,  acceleration,  and  load. 

As  for  safety,  there  are  many  microprocessor  applica- 
tions, some  of  which  are  very  simple  and  others  highly 
sophisticated.  Among  the  more  interesting  include  ap- 
plications to  check  for  low  tire  pressure,  to  monitor  oil 


80  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


level  and  battery  charge  indicators,  to  activate  airbag  ac- 
tuators, to  provide  drunk  driving  prevention,  and  to 
monitor  radar  braking  systems.  The  last  two  are  of  par- 
ticular interest  to  the  federal  government.  The  drunk 
driving  prevention  device  employs  a gas  composition 
sensor  mounted  in  the  steering  wheel  hub  which  pre- 
vents the  ignition  from  working  if  the  alcohol  level  in  the 
breath  of  the  operator  is  beyond  a certain  predeter- 
mined level.  GM  has  done  research  on  alcohol  interlock 
systems  and  has  produced  devices  that  have  effectively 
screened  between  50%  and  75%  of  drivers  with  blood 
alcohol  concentrations  of  0.1  %.* 

Automatic  radar  brakes  is  another  application  that  the 
government  is  interested  in.  These  systems  automatic- 
ally apply  the  automobile's  brakes  when  the  radar  sys- 
tem detects  a potential  hazard  to  close  to  the  front  of 
the  vehicle.  The  limiting  factor  in  such  a system  is  that  it 
is  difficult  to  differentiate  between  X-Band  radar  signa- 
tures of  objects  of  different  sizes  and  risk  potentials.  A 
possible  solution  is  dependent  upon  the  reduced  cost 
of  computer  memory.  If  sufficient  numbers  of  radar  sig- 
natures could  be  stored,  it  would  be  possible  to  support 
a high-speed  radar  hazard  analysis  and  automatically 
apply  the  brakes.7  This  system  would  function  only  as 
an  emergency  crash  avoidance  capacity  activating  when 
a crash  is  imminent  and  human  interaction  has  not  oc- 
curred. Other  possible,  but  not  probable,  applications 
include  brain  wave  monitoring  devices  that  would  wake 
up  drivers  who  are  falling  asleep  at  the  wheel.  Also,  anx- 
iety and/or  aggression  interlocks  could  prevent  drivers 
in  an  accident-prone  frame  of  mind  from  being  able  to 
start  the  engine. 

There  are  numerous  other  applications  of  micropro- 
cessors in  automobiles,  such  as  headlights,  braking  and 
electronic  power  control.  Digital  readout  gauges  are  a 
logical  extension  of  microprocessed  engine  control 
because  most  of  the  sensors  and  digital/analog  inter- 
face units  would  be  present  in  automobiles  with  engine 
control  microprocessors.  One  problem  with  digital 
readout  is  that  they  are  temperature  sensitive,  and 
automobiles  are  subjected  to  extreme  temperature 
variation.  Digital  clocks,  radio  station  indicators,  and 
miles  to  empty  fuel  gauges  have  just  become  optional 
on  high-priced  American  cars,  and  the  trend  is  expected 
to  continue  as  the  costs  are  reduced. 

MAINTENANCE  CONCERNS 

The  use  of  microprocessors  in  engine  control  and 
other  automotive  applications  will  certainly  have  wide- 
spread implications  on  the  reliability  and  maintenance  of 
the  automobile.  Currently,  auto  maintenance  is  designed 
to  keep  the  vehicle  running;  in  the  future  mere  running 
will  not  be  enough.  As  the  purpose  of  microprocessed 
engine  control  systems  is  to  allow  a very  high  level  of 
economy,  environmental  efficiency,  and  safety,  mainte- 
nance will  be  directed  towards  maintaining  those  high 
standards.  This  will  require  high  level  diagnostic 
devices  and  mandatory  periodic  servicing. 

While  computer  technology  will  contribute  to  the  high 
cost  and  sophistication  of  auto  servicing,  it  will  not  be  its 
cause.  The  reason  for  the  radical  change  in  maintenance 
is  society’s  insistence  on  high  fuel  economy,  safety,  and 
low  emissions.  If  the  auto  industry  were  to  meet  strict 
standards  by  mechanical  means,  maintenance  require- 
ments would  be  more  expensive  as  automobiles  would 
require  more  servicing  to  meet  the  same  standards. 

A lag  is  likely  in  educating  technicians  in  local  service 
stations.  Until  advanced  electronics  are  common  and 
have  been  around  for  a while,  it  is  likely  that  it  will  be  dif- 
ficult to  find  the  qualified  technician  to  work  on  your 
car.  It  is  also  likely  that  blame  will  be  unfairly  placed  on 


the  microprocessor  when  the  real  problem  will  be  that 
the  mechanic  is  not  familiar  with  the  system. 

Maintenance  on  the  microprocessor  equipped  car 
must  be  compared  with  other  cars  that  meet  the  1981 
pollution  standards,  not  with  today’s  vehicles.  An  alter- 
native would  be  for  Detroit  to  have  gone  another  route 
(i.e.,  diesel,  stratified  charge,  turbine,  etc.)  to  meet  the 
strict  standards  rather  than  to  increase  the  sophistica- 
tion of  an  existing  but  inefficient  design.  Whether  or  not 
these  designs  could  meet  the  1981  standards  without  a 
great  many  changes  is  not  clear,  but  it  is  likely  that  they 
would  require  less  in  the  way  of  electronics. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Microprocessors  will  definitely  be  playing  an  increas- 
ingly important  role  in  the  automobile.  Their  use  is  just 
beginning  and  will  probably  become  commonplace  as  a 
basic  automotive  component  in  the  very  near  future. 
Because  they  are  so  new,  many  unanswered  questions 
remain  about  their  effect  on  automobile  performance, 
reliability,  maintenance,  economy,  and  perhaps  safety. 
There  is  no  question  that  microprocessors  will  make  the 
automobile  a more  sophisticated  piece  of  machinery, 
and  this  will  certainly  have  an  impact  on  maintenance. 

While  the  engine  control  function  of  a microproces- 
sor will  have  little  impact  on  the  operator,  there  are 
many  other  applications  such  as  safety,  comfort,  and 
convenience  that  could  have  a profound  affect  on  the 
driver  and  his  passengers.  Unfortunately,  these  other 
applications  are  not  likely  to  be  microprocessed  as 
quickly  as  engine  control.  As  technology  advances, 
more  applications  will  become  feasible.  The  possibili- 
ties are  almost  endless  and  will  surely  make  the  auto- 
mobile of  the  1980’s  quite  different  from  the  one  that  we 
drive  today. □ 

FOOTNOTES 

'Trevor  O.  Jones.  ‘'Automobile  Electronics  I:  Smaller  and 
Better.”  IEEE  Spectrum,  (November  1977),  p.  34. 

7E.F.  Lindsley.  “Buick’s  Turbocharged  V6."  Popular  Science, 
(September  1977),  p.  86. 

•Bernard  M.  Oliver.  “The  Role  of  Microelectronics  in  Instru- 
mentation and  Control.”  Scientific  American,  (September 
1977),  p.183. 

'Ronald  K.  Jugen.  "The  Automobile:  For  Better  or  Worse." 
IEEE  Spectrum,  (November  1977),  p.  32. 

•"Detroit’s  New  Appetite  for  Electronic  Controls.”  Business 
Week,  (August  28,  1977),  p.  64. 

•Trevor  O.  Jones.  "Some  Recent  and  Future  Automotive  Elec- 
tronic Developments.”  Science,  (March  18, 1977),  p.  1159. 

'Ibid.,  p.  1159. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

"Detroit’s  New  Appetite  for  Electronic  Controls.”  Business 
Week,  (August  29, 1977),  pp.  64-66. 

"Electronics  in  Motion.”  Automotive  Industries,  (September  15, 

1976) ,  p.  56. 

Franson,  Paul.  “Though  Digital  ICs  Gain  Rapidly,  Today's  Auto- 
motive Electronics  Remain  Mostly  Linear,  Discrete."  EDN, 
(October  20, 1977),  pp.  19-20. 

Jones,  Trevor  O.  "Automobile  Electronics  I:  Smaller  and  Bet- 
ter.” IEEE  Spectrum,  Vol.  14.  (November  1977),  pp.  34-35. 
Jones,  Trevor  O.  "Some  Recent  and  Future  Automotive  Elec- 
tronic Developments."  Science,  Vol.  195.  (March  18,  1977), 
pp.  1156-1160. 

Jurgen,  Ronald  K.  “The  Automobile:  For  Better  or  Worse.” 
IEEE  Spectrum,  Vol.  14.  (November  1977),  pp.  31-33. 

Oliver,  Bernard  M.  “The  Role  of  Microelectronics  in  Instru- 
mentation and  Control.”  Scientific  American,  (September 

1977) ,  pp.  182-190. 

Puckett,  Gene,  J.  Marley,  J.  Gragg.  “Automotive  Electronics  II: 
The  Microprocessor  Is  In."  IEEE  Spectrum,  Vol.  14,  (Nov- 
ember 1977),  pp.  37-39. 

Toong,  Hoo-Min  D.  “Microprocessors."  Scientific  American, 
(September  1977),  pp.  146-159. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  81 


Home  computer  enthusiasts  are  constantly  looking 
for  interesting  applications  for  their  investments.  As 
newcomers  to  the  field  of  photography,  we  found  the 
precise  temperatures  and  timing  required  in  developing 
color  prints  a bit  intimidating.  A microcomputer  acting 
as  a prompter  is  a useful  addition  to  the  photo  lab.  Using 
a real  time  clock,  the  computer  can  not  only  beep  when 
it  is  time  to  do  something,  it  can  tell  you  what  to  do  (via 
teletype  orT.V.  typewriter).  After  the  processing  is  over, 
the  computer  will  even  turn  on  the  lights  for  you  auto- 
matically. But  if  you  aren’t  into  photography,  keep  read- 
ing. The  hardware  and  software  presented  here  are  ap- 
plicable to  any  complex  process  lasting  less  than  99 
minutes  and  in  which  timing  is  critical.  There  are  many 
applications  in  cooking  and  labwork.  You  can  even  use 
it  to  wake  yourself  after  that  10  or  15  minute  catnap. 

HARDWARE 

The  basic  hardware  in  our  system  consists  of  a 
SWTPC  MP6800  computer  with  4K,  a SWTPC  CT-1024 
Video  Terminal,  an  AC-30  Cassette  Interface,  and  an  MP-L 
Parallel  Interface.  The  MP-L  Interface  is  necessary  for 
any  type  of  real  world  interfacing.  The  SWTPC  MP-L 
Parallel  Interface  consists  of  a Motorola  6820  Peripheral 
Interface  Adapter  Integrated  Circuit  (PIA)  and  the  neces- 
sary buffering.  Sixteen  data  lines  are  available  for  input 
or  output  along  with  4 control  lines.  The  parallel  inter- 
face is  plugged  into  I/O  slot  0 in  the  SWTPC  computer. 
Any  slot  may  be  used  by  changing  the  value  of  the  cons- 
tant PIAO  in  the  program. 

Not  being  particularly  hardware  oriented,  we  tried  to 
make  the  additional  hardware  for  the  computer  promp- 
ter as  simple  as  possible.  The  circuit  was  developed  by 
experimentation  on  a breadboard  out  of  spare  parts  ly- 
ing around  the  workbench.  The  values  of  resistances 
and  capacitances  are  not  very  critical.  The  values  shown 
in  Figure  1 work  well. 


A microcomputer  acting  as  a 
prompter  is  a useful  addition  to  the 
photo  lab. . .it  can  tell  you  what  to 
do  (via  teletype  or  T.V.  typewriter). 
After  the  processing  is  over,  the 
computer  will. . .turn  out  the  lights. . . 


The  operation  of  the  hardware  is  as  follows.  A 60  cy- 
cle, 12  volt  A.C.  signal  is  taken  from  the  computer  power 
supply.  The  signal  is  conditioned  and  fed  into  the  74C08 
CMOS  ‘‘AND’’  Gate  where  it  emerges  as  60  Hz  TTL 
pulses.  The  pulses  are  fed  to  the  7490  Decade  Counter. 
The  output  on  line  1 1 of  the  decade  counter  is  a 6 Hz  TTL 
pulse  which  is  fed  to  Cl  on  the  SWTPC  parallel  interface 
(CB1  Interrupt  Input  on  the  6820  PIA).  The  peripheral  in- 
put line  CB1  is  used  to  set  the  interrupt  flag  of  the  con- 
trol register  of  the  PIA  six  times  a second.  The  interrupts 
are  serviced  six  times  a second  by  the  software. 

The  rest  of  the  circuit  is  a beeper  that  is  controlled  by 
the  “A”  side  of  the  PIA.  The  input  to  the  beeper  is  con- 
nected to  00  of  the  SWTPC  parallel  interface  (Line  PA0 
on  the  6820  PIA)  and  is  controlled  by  the  software.  Of 
course,  up  to  8 output  devices  such  as  lights  or  beepers 
could  be  connected  to  00-07  or  256  if  multiplexed,  but  at 
the  moment  we  are  only  using  one  beeper.  The  output 
signal  from  the  PIA  is  buffered  by  passing  through  the 
74C08.  The  signal  is  then  used  to  turn  the  beeper,  which 


consists  of  the  555  Timer  and  its  associated  compo- 
nents, on  and  off.  We  determined  that  this  buffering  was 
necessary  to  prevent  erratic  and  unreliable  operation  of 
the  real  time  clock.  An  output  of  a hex  byte  “01  "will  turn 
the  beeper  on,  and  an  output  of  "00"  will  turn  it  off. 

SOFTWARE 

In  writing  the  software,  our  two  goals  were  to  make 
the  software  as  flexible  as  possible  and  to  keep  it  as 
short  as  possible.  The  result  is  a program  235io  bytes 
long  with  a data  area  following  the  program.  Data  is 
entered  into  the  program  in  the  format  shown  in  the 
"comments”  section  of  Program  1.  The  messages  need 
not  be  input  in  their  order  of  output.  If  an  incorrect 
character  is  input  in  the  message,  it  may  be  deleted  by 
typing  a “Ctrl  0D’. 

The  program  consists  of  three  main  sections.  The 
first  section  starts  with  the  label  “BEGIN”  and  reads  the 
times  and  messages  to  be  output.  A carriage  return  and 
a line  feed  are  output.  The  minute  and  second  of  the 
first  message  are  read  in  (assumed  to  be  in  decimal)  and 
are  converted  to  hexadecimal  representation  for  stor- 
age. Data  is  stored  sequentially  beginning  at  address 
010B.  A 99io  (HEX  63)  signals  the  end  of  the  input  and 
the  program  jumps  to  the  second  section.  If  a 99io  is  not 
read,  a hex  byte  is  read  after  the  seconds.  This  hex  byte 
will  later  be  output  on  lines  00  through  07  of  the  Parallel 
Interface.  Next,  the  message  is  read  one  character  at  a 
time  until  it  is  terminated  by  a “Ctrl  D”. 

The  beginning  of  the  second  section  of  the  program  is 
marked  by  the  label  "INIT”  in  Program  1.  The  second 
section  does  the  outputting  of  messages  at  specified 
times.  First,  the  real  time  clock  is  reset  to  zero.  Next,  the 
clock  is  started  by  the  “CLI”,  clear  interrupt  instruction. 
The  program  starts  to  search  the  data  area  which  begins 
at  address  010A  for  a byte  containing  “04".  An  04  marks 
the  beginning  of  a data  record.  The  next  byte  contains 
the  minute  that  the  message  is  to  be  printed  or  a 63n.  A 
63>e  signals  that  the  end  of  the  input  has  been  reached 
and  the  program  waits  until  the  second  changes  and 
then  restarts  the  search  at  01 0A  for  a message  to  out- 
put. If  a 63ie  is  not  encountered,  the  minute  and  second 
are  compared  with  the  current  values  of  the  real  time 
clock  minutes  and  seconds  stored  in  addresses  0020  and 
0021.  If  the  times  match,  the  third  byte  following  the  04  is 
output  to  the  A side  of  the  PIA.  This  byte  controls  the 
beeper  circuit.  Next,  a carriage  return  and  a line  feed  are 
output,  followed  by  the  minute,  second,  hex  byte  and 
message  that  are  to  be  printed.  The  time  is  converted  to 
decimal  representation  before  output.  Next,  a zero  byte 
is  output  to  the  A side  of  the  PIA  to  turn  off  the  beeper. 
The  program  then  waits  until  the  second  counter  changes, 
then  restarts  the  search  for  a message  at  01 0A. 

The  final  section  of  the  program  begins  with  the  label 
“IRQ"  and  is  the  real  time  clock  interrupt  servicing  rou- 
tine. Six  times  a second,  the  clock  pulse  at  Cl  on  the 
parallel  interface  causes  bit  7 in  control  register  "B”  in 
the  PIA  to  be  set.  This  in  turn  causes  the  IRQ  input  line 
to  the  microprocessor  to  be  grounded.  Upon  this  inter- 
rupt signal,  the  Motorola  MIKBUG™  software  causes  a 
jump  to  the  Interrupt  service  routine  indirectly  through 
the  addresses  A000  and  A001.  These  addresses  have 
been  previously  loaded  with  00E6,  the  address  of  "IRQ". 
Thus  a clock  pulse  at  Cl  causes  a jump  to  “IRQ”  section 
of  the  program.  First  a check  of  bit  7 of  control  register 
“B”  is  done  to  determine  that  it  was  the  clock  that  caused 
the  interrupt.  Next,  bit  7 is  cleared.  The  sixth  of  a second 
counter  is  incremented.  If  the  counter  is  equal  to  6,  it  Is 
reset  to  zero  and  the  second  counter  Is  Incremented. 
Likewise,  If  the  second  counter  is  equal  to  60,  It  Is  reset 
to  zero  and  the  minute  counter  is  incremented.  A return 
from  interrupt  is  executed. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AQE  83 


Figure  1.  Real  Time  Clock  and  Beeper  Circuit 


l OSS 
IOC* 
1071 


euc 

*000 

0000 

00»* 

60**  00 
(6»1  00 
4#2*  00 

00«*  00 
ou 

oO«*  ** 


00*7  0000 

00*9  Hi. 
CU.*.  LOAA 
i6*v  00 

(«<k  «» 

oo«k  i* 
40**  *6 

*0  ••  *0 
Itjt  lb 
iOj<  10 

Hi!  BL 

*0J*  10** 

oo»*  i« 

00-7  14 

001*  39 

OOJV  Of 
OOj*  27 

0030  CL 
0030  002* 

0030  00 

0 #3*  107C 

00*1  oc 
00**  27 

00*3  39 


PROGRAM  1 

woo*  1 1 ill  • - *auo  mom'll"  prog«a*  uiilW' 

.6*3  • THIS  PROU"AK  *C4PS  • HACK  U4  MEAL  Tim.  *41  PMU*>  I* 

*Cb-  • 1HL  uStK  -Ilf  MiSSAWLS  AT  SPECIFIED  TIMES. 

*Uv.  • -MITTEN  B»  R.  •>.  LANft 

*00.  • COmMhTSJ 

*06  < • Sl***t  i'KUi.AAH  Bf  SluMlNV  oo**  *1  *0*0.  TiPE  0 

uObu  • UAT*  14  LI.IEMlU  1*  F06MAT  MM*s* * 1NSTKUC  T IONS/.  . . L It • . -99 
-16?  • bHlfcl  KM-IS  T*il  rlAUlL  AFTER  START  THAI  KFSSAOl  IS  AhINTCO 

bllb  • 4S-IS  Tut  SICONuS  AFTER  START  THAT  rtSSAGl  l > »*«MCO 

bbli  • u*IS  A «t«  t'TTL  TO  bC  OUTPUT  To  Pl*0  MhCN  MCS3A4E 

bCl*  • IS  l**!«lTtw 

• 613  • INSTMUC1 IUNS • IS  THC  MESSAGE  I ANT  LlhUm  TO  ttl  PKINTC3 

• C Is  • 2-1S  Tin.  RCJSAbl  TtPRINATOR  «CTML  01 

bOl*  • ...CTC...  ANC  Al.T  NUMBER  Uf  MESSAGES.  rims  Lv  *01 

*6l*  • NASI  TO  BL  14  loCNCASINO  0*01". 

*61/  • 99-19  THt  I4PUT  TCR«|NATO*. 

*616  • 111*1  01  10  CtlLTL  PREVIOUS  ChaRACHN  IN  NtSSAbl 

*01?  • 

.Oc  • a* hr  Input  hmniaaio*  is  kiao.  tk  cluc*  mile  bt  misii 

**»1  • TO  4l**U  AMi  S1ANKC.  THC  MESSAGES  API  PR|NTlQ  AT  1* 

• 02  c • SI'IC  I F ICU  Tims.  BICKERS.  SIht'iS  ANO  FLASHING  Ll»H1*  A*L 

*4*3  • COiNLCHU  TO  Pl*0  <*  SIOH. 

*04*  • TIMER  PMUGRAM  C*N  tt  hCHUN  01  S’AMTlNb  AT  LOCATIO.  0**0- 

*043  • CLOCK  INPUT  IS  lOAMCTCO  To  P|A*IB  SIOH  CB1 

*04*  P IK bUb  INTR1  PCINTS  ••• 

*04/  0TTI  LUU  **IU43*  nT AO  HEX  0»U  INTO  A *14 

*U<e  0UT2NS  LOU  X'EUCA'  OUTPUT  HLX  BTTC  POII/TtO  TO  Bl  A Abb 

*U4*  PUAlAl  IWU  X'lU/l'  OUTPUT  CHA*.  POINTtO  TO  0T  A ht* 

*03*  • UNTIL  X'O*’  CNCOUNTCRCO 

*031  UUL  LOC  A *1 0*A  • KCAU  Ml  A NIB6LC  INTO  A *IC 

*034  | NtCL  LOU  X'C1*C*  HlAO  CHAN.  INTO  A NCO. 

• 033  I*  LwU  A * AUUO * 10  INTERRUPT  POlNll* 

*63*  Pl*0  L4U  A'eOUO*  P1A  A00RCS4 

*633  PSHT  A *26  * 

*43*  P IN  FCH  A • o ' KCAC  Tim  MINUTES 

*03/  SLC  »Cb  *'4*  41 AC  TIRE  4CCUN0S 

*C3«  SIXTH  KO  1*0*  A CAL  TI*C  1/4  SCCONOS 

*63?  C SLC  FCb  A • 0 ' LUKHLNT  SECONDS 

*C*«  IN  FC4  A**u'  CARRIAGE  RLTUHII 

*4*1  Lf.  Fife  IV  L INC  FEED 

*0*4  101  K«  X'O**  LOT 

*0*3  ASAVL  FuP  X'OOUO*  NCSUVC  ARLA  TO  SAVt  A RC4 

46**  PICT  JSN  MIOL  CONVERT  DECIMAL  TO  HfA  f OK  STOK*4l 


lit  *3  INA 

*«*•  ASIA 

Mi*/  T*t 

*4*6  ASLA 

*0*  t »SLA 

*0>*  Abb 

*601  TAH 

**04  US*  NIIIL 


*003  AbA 

000*  Tab 

0003  MTS 

*40*  CftlF  OTA  ASAVL  SAVt  A NEC 


*00/  LOA  .CP  POINT  X NC4  TO  CR.LF.EOV 


4006  USN  POA 1*1  OUTPUT  DATA  POINTED  TO  BT  A NLb 


*00?  LOA  XSAVL  RESTORE  X "EC 


6064  NTS 

4041  BEblh  LUX  .OAT*  lNlTlALlJC  X RC4  TO  START  UP  UAU  AREA 


00**  Ci 
00*0  010* 

00*7  00  0044  STO*  BSM  CRLF  SUBROUTINE  MILL  OUTPUT  CR/LF 

00*6  FO 

00*9  SO  *043  MORE  BSR  OLC1  KC AD  MINUTES 

00*a  01 

606*  STAA  O.X  STOML  MlNU'LS 

00*b  A7 
C0*L  00 

•06*  CPPA  .99  IF  MlNa99  >h(N  END 

00*1  41 

I0«b  43 

00*4  27  00*6  ei«  INI T CF  INPUT, BRANCH  TO  CLOCK 

C0S6  |C 

00S1  00  006/  BSM  Old  RE  AO  SECORUS 

0032  U6 

6060  STAA  O.X  STORl  SCCONOS 

00*3  AT 
003*  00 

*06?  JSR  BTTL  READ  BTTC  TO  BE  OUTPUT  ON  PI** 

CCjb  00 
00*6  1033 

003*  0"  607*  INA 

6071  STAA  A STORE  BTTC  IN  OATA  ArLA 

00*9  AT 
OOSA  06 

4074  pEAD  USB  INCH  READ  PROMPT  1N4  MESSAGE 

0C*b  BO 

04*1  l 1 AC 

0031  06  *073  INA 

607*  STAA  O.X  STORE  m€SS«4C 

CCt»  A7 

(111  0* 

*073  CmPA  « X • Mf • CHECH  FOR  UCtCTC  'CTRL  O' 

10*1  01 

(0*2  OF 

00*3  26  *07*  ONE  Nl*l 

00**  02 

00*s  09  607/  OCX 

00*6  09  007«  OCA 

407?  NEXT  CMPA  .X'll*'  IF  CUT.  THLR  END  OF  MCSSA41 

00*7  01 

00*6  0* 

00*9  27  004*  BIO  SIO* 

09**  DC 

00*6  20  *001  BRA  REAU  ME AO  MORE  MESSAGE 

(6*1  IE 

CO**  OF  *004  1NIT  SCI 

4003  LUX  . IRG  STORl  ADDRtSS  OF  CLOCK  INTLRRUPI 

00*t  Cl 

0l*»  0016 

004*  SIX  |R 

00T1  FF 

0072  AOOO 

60?*  *F  *063  CCMA 

*066  STAA  PI AU» 1 

007b  B7 

0076  0001 

604/  STAA  P1AV 

0076  07 

0079  0004 

6046  LU*A  .9 

0076  06 

6071  07 

*009  STAA  P!AV*3  CLOCR  AT  I/O  PORT  aO 

00Tb  87 

COH  0003 

*09*  UAA  .0  RESET  CLOCK  TO  2CRO 

000*  06 

(Oil  00 

0094  STAA  MIN 

•0*4  97 

00*3  20 

6094  STAA  SEC 

00**  97 

OOeb  21 

*093  STAA  SIXTH 

0006  97 

0007  22 

0006  01  609*  Cel  START  CLOCK 

*093  RlOO  LDX  .OAT* 

0009  CE 

OOoA  010A 


84  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


(Ml* 


Old  20 
CC|l  02 
COAL  00 
C(l»  0« 

00>W  AO 
toti  00 

cc**  oo 

«e$i  oi 
cci*  06 

(Cos  20 
«(1k  Ft 

00$?  AO 
00*6  00 

con  01 

b0$A  OS 
OCsb  27 
C«>L  27 
06*k  00 

CCH  »J 
ccn  26 
06*0  20 

00*1  tc 

tO*c  AO 
CO**  06 
0C*1  00 

con  fi 
1.0*0  21 
00*7  20 

ce*o  co 

60**  AO 
06**  00 

ce*b  oo 

00»l  21 

00«k  07 

00*1  22 

C0*»  »7 

OOfeO  0006 
60*.  00 
C60*  <1 

con  o* 
con  o* 
tCto  00 
€667  1% 

otto  oo 
IW8  12 

00b*  8b 
CCtb  COCA 

OObL  BU 
CObl  C07L 
COCO  OF 

C6(i  »7 
0G(«  0000 

oOco  co 
60(6  22 

C«C*  01 
66(  7 21 

60(6  26 
00(>  H* 
lO(*  26 
10(6  FA 

00(6  10 
OC(k  06 
60(1  OO 

06(F  C» 
00(6  27 

00k*  *F 

(Ik*  Cl 
6C(*  OA 
•Ob«  20 

G6(b  60 

60LO  OO 

00(7  10 

00(6  co 

60(0  OA 
00(*  20 
QC(k  FO 
0OL(  lb 
60(k  26 

OOkt  20 

COIF  80 
(0(6  coc* 
60(2  21 

00(*  ct 

00(6  27 

60(0  50 

00(6  06 
60(7  0002 

00(0  2A 

ooi*  xc 

00(0  86 
00((  8002 

ecu  7C 
CC(*  0022 

60>1  06 
CC><  06 

00*  2 *1 
00*6  22 
60*0  26 
00*6  12 

(6*7  TF 
00*6  0022 

60* A TC 
06(0  0021 

IlFl  06 
Of*  t JC 

CO* ► 01 

(1(6  21 
BlOl  26 
0l6«  66 

6lQA  7F 
0 1 66  0021 

Olgo  7C 
6lwT  0020 
01«6  SO 

QlO*  06 


uoo* 

uoo/  nothin  xm 

6t*e  NOTSLC  l«* 

BOOT*  A 00  LliAA 

OlOO  IN* 

010*  CHPA 

610*  Dili 

610*  LOAA 

6106  CAF» 

«10a  846 

vio*  in* 

010/  CNF* 

6 1 0*  ONI 

OlOO  Ll»AA 

• llw  IN* 

Bill  ClU»A 

Oil*  Obi 

Oil*  LOAA 

0116  LOAM 

oila  1TA8 

(.116  STAA 

•117  816 

Olio  OCA 

611*  OO 

olio  810 

6121  SIN 

.012*  JSR 

0124 

6126  CLNA 

•12a  STAA 

•126  OCL  LbAd 

012/  OCLAf  C«M»» 

6l2«  ONI 

012*  BA* 

olio  TIKF  LUAb 

•12*  in* 

•12*  St* 

•12*  C(M* 

•1*6  Nl  C»*»B 

61*3  MM 

•12*  AObA 

•127  IuUb 

•12«  UA 

• 137  N2  *B  * 

• 160  **1HA 

•16*  71* 

016*  JIN 

M 16  * INS 

•166  LO* 

•160  MTS 

Ul6»  1M0  (OAA 

•167  BPL 

•16*  LOAA 

•16*  INC 

•ISM  LOAA 

• 111  CHT»A 

Mil*  8NC 

Mil A CLN 

•186  INC 

•18a  LOAA 

•IS*  ChPA 

•1S7  BNL 

•IS*  C(M 

•ISO  INC 

•I»m  (*l T Mil 
m16*  OATA  FCB 

•IN*  INC 


AOC 


AOb 

X 


(ILL 

MIN 

NOTHIN 

A 

SIC 

noiolc 

X 

see 

cue 

•MAO 

CM(F 

TIHNP 
T IHL** 
OuT**S 

POA»Al 

PUO 

ewe 

see 

PCC.0 

OCLAT 

X 

ISAVL 

• 10 
N2 

.*•10* 

• 10 
NX 

OUT**S 

XSAVL 

P1AW«3 

exit 

P1A0«| 

S1XTM 

•1 

SIXTH 

EXIT 

SlAT" 

see 
• 60 
ICC 
LX|I 

see 

hjn 

X * 06  • 


CNCCK  FOR  UCClNNlNC  OP  MCCO«U 


CHCCK  FOR  LNO  OF  OAT* 


CHCCR  HIN  OF  CNTRT  *6* INST  CuMUNl  H|N 


(HCCM  SCC  OF  CNTRT  AGAINST  CuMAlM  ICC 


LOAO  b T TC  TO  UNO  TO  Pl*6 
S A VC  CURRCNT  SCC  COUNT 


SC NO  BVTC  TO  Pi AO 

LUBMOUT INC  TO  OUTPUT  CR/LF 

MACM  TO  SCCONOS 
MAC*  TO  H1NUTCS 
•RITC  OUT  HI* 

•R1TL  OUT  SCC 

•RITC  OUT  UATA  SCNT  TO  PIAO 
•RXTC  OUT  HCS1A6L 

SCNU  2CR0  MTU  TO  PIAO 


•All  TILL  SCC  CHANGES 


OUTPUT  UHL  IN  0ASC  10 
SAVE  X REG 

OCO  CONVERSION  * On  OUTPUT  OF  TINt 


KCSTOMC  X MEG 

beginning  of  clock  interrupt  Routine 

LXIT  IF  INTERRUPT  *(*6  is  lleaa 
CLEAR  INTERRUPT  Flag 

1NCRLHCNT  1/6  SCCONO  COUNTLR 


IF  SIXTH. NL. 6 THEN  EXIT 

IF  SlX'N.C0*6  THEN  NCUT  SIXTH  10  2EMO 

AND  INCRCNLNT  SCCONOS 


IF  SLC.NC.60  Then  c*i t 

IF  see. CO. 60  ThCN  AC St  I SCC  TO  *1X0 

ANO  1NCRCHLNT  HINUTC 

LNO  OF  CLOLR  INTERRUPT 


000001  ■ "CIBACHROME’  ‘(Ctrl  D) 

000200START  BY  POURING  DEVELOPER  INTO  HOLDING  CUP  (Ctrl  D) 
001001TURN  TANK  ON  SIDE  AND  BEGIN  AGITATION  (Ctrl  D) 

020001  DRAIN  DEVELOPER  AND  ADD  BLEACH  TO  HOLDING  CUP  (Ctrl  D) 
021001TURN  TANK  ON  SIDE  AND  BEGIN  AGITATION  (Ctrl  D) 

060001  DRAIN  BLEACH  AND  ADD  FIXER  TO  HOLDING  CUP  (Ctrl  D) 
061001TURN  TANK  ON  SIDE  AND  BEGIN  AGITATION  (Ctrl  D) 

091001  DRAIN  FIXER  (Ctrl  D) 

092001  REMOVE  CAP,  WASH  PRINT  IN  RUNNING  WATER  (Ctrl  D) 
122001  REMOVE  PRINT,  DRY  WITH  HAIR  DRYER  (Ctrl  D) 

192001  PRINT  FINISHED!  (Ctrl  D) 

99 

Figure  2.  Sample  Input  for  Cibachrome  Processing 


PHOTOPROCESSING  EXAMPLE 

The  system  presented  in  this  article  is  a general  purpose 
timer  and  applicable  to  any  short  time  process.  We  have 
found  the  prompter  system  very  useful  in  doing  photo- 
graphic print  processing  using  the  Cibachrome*  process. 

To  run  the  program,  begin  by  storing  0044  in  locations 
A048  and  A049.  Type  G to  begin.  Figure  2 is  a listing  of 
the  input  for  the  12  minute  Cibachrome  developing  pro- 
cedure. Figure  3 shows  a portion  of  memory  after  enter- 


ADORESS  CONTENTS 


010A 

04 

m 

a 

2A 

□ 

49 

42 

41 

43 

48 

52 

4F 

4D 

45 

□ 

B 

* 

B 

1 

B 

A 

C 

H 

R 

0 

M 

E 

011A 

2A 

2A 

04 

□ 

S3 

S3 

S3 

□ 

20 

PM 

* 

* 

u 

□ 

□ 

□ 

□ 

■ 

LJ 

D 

a 

. . . 

B 

r 

r 

0278 

20 

48 

41 

49 

m 

20 

a 

52 

□ 

52 

04 

13 

14 

01 

50 

H 

A 

1 

□ 

□ 

R 

□ 

□ 

R 

19 

20 

01 

P 

0288 

23 

4E 

S3 

46 

□ 

4E 

23 

48 

a 

□ 

a 

04 

63 

□ 

D 

N 

□ 

■ 

F 

! 

N 

D 

□ 

H 

u 

E 

1 

99 

Figure  3.  Hexadecimal  Representation  of  Messages  in 
Memory  with  Decimal  or  ASCII  Equivalent  Shown  Below 


ing  the  input  in  Figure  2.  To  restart  the  program  to  pro- 
cess additional  prints,  just  hit  the  reset  button,  load 
006D  in  addresses  A048  and  A049  and  type  G.  To  save 
the  Cibachrome  instructions  and  the  program  on  tape, 
set  A002  to  00,  A003  to  20,  A004  to  2,  and  A005  to  97.  Use 
the  MIKBUG  “P"  command  to  save  the  program  and 
data  on  tape.  The  program  and  data  can  then  be  loaded 
from  tape  using  the  MIKBUG  "L”  command  and  run  us- 
ing the  restart  instructions.D 


Photograph  on  Page  82  by  Shelley  Wright 


* Cibachrome  is  a simple  process  developed  by  Ilford  for 
making  color  prints  from  slides.  The  "Discovery  Kit",  for 
less  than  $20,  contains  all  the  supplies  needed  to  pro- 
duce 20  5"  x 4"  prints  from  your  favorite  slides.  The  Kit 
comes  complete  with  an  ingenious  developing  tank 
which  allows  the  developing  to  proceed  in  a lighted 
room.  The  tank  contains  a holding  cup  which  holds  the 
chemical  until  the  tank  is  turned  on  its  side,  at  which 
time  the  chemical  flows  over  the  print.  When  the  tank  is 
uprighted,  the  spent  chemical  flows  out  a bottom  drain, 
and  the  next  chemical  can  be  added  to  the  holding  cup. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  85 


Computer  Generated 
Morse  Code 


By  Jim  McClure 


For  some  time  I have  been  Interested  In  becoming  a 
radio  amateur  and  obtaining  a General  Class  license. 
Unfortunately,  the  test  administered  by  the  Federal 
Communications  Commission  requires  that  a General 
Class  radio  amateur  be  able  to  send  and  receive  Morse 
Code  at  a minimum  speed  of  thirteen  words  per  minute, 
not  a natural  ability  by  any  means.  1 was  reminded  that 
"practice  makes  perfect"  applied  doubly  to  code,  and 
the  only  way  to  learn  it  was  to  copy  code  sent  by  a profi- 
cient ham  until  I had  mastered  the  required  speed.  Find- 
ing a proficient  ham  required  me  to  look  no  farther  than 
an  Altalr  8800  microcomputer. 

The  accompanying  program,  written  for  an  8080  micro- 
processor, accepts  text  from  a console  device  and  out- 
puts the  text  to  an  audio  amplifier  as  Morse  Code.  Since 
I am  not  a hardware  type,  the  program  was  written  to 
perform  all  necessary  tone  generation  and  modulation 
to  simulate  a code  practice  oscillator.  All  that  Is  needed 
In  the  way  of  special  hardware,  beside  the  computer  and 
a terminal,  is  a low-fi  audio  amplifier.  While  this  program 
was  intended  for  an  8080,  It  can  be  rewritten  for  other 
systems  using  the  flowcharts  presented  with  this  article. 


SPEED 

DASHL 
Sets  length 
of  dash 

DOTL 

Sets  length 
of  dot 

SPACEL 
Sets  delay 
between 
units 

PAUSEL 
Sets  delay 
between 
characters 

5 WPM 

80H 

30  H 

0AH 

0FFFFH 

10WPM 

40H 

10H 

08H 

070FFH 

15  WPM 

30H 

0CH 

06H 

040FFH 

Table  1. 

When  activated,  the  program  prints  a question  mark 
on  the  console  and  waits  for  a line  of  text  to  be  typed. 
(The  rubout  key  will  delete  a previously  entered  charac- 
ter If  a mistake  is  made.)  After  a carriage  return  Is  re- 
ceived, conversion  from  ASCII  to  Morse  Code  begins. 

In  addition  to  all  upper  case  letters,  the  symbols  for 
period,  comma,  semicolon,  colon,  and  question  mark  are 
accepted  by  the  program.  Any  other  characters  are  Ignored. 

Conversion  from  ASCII  to  Morse  Code  Is  accomplished 
through  a master  table  which  contains  an  entry  for  each 
legal  character.  Each  entry  consists  of  two  bytes.  The  first 
byte  Indicates  the  number  of  sending  units  (dashes  or 
dots)  for  the  desired  character.  Each  bit  of  the  second  byte, 
read  from  right  to  left,  represents  a sending  unit.  If  the 
bit  Is  a zero,  the  corresponding  sending  unit  will  be  a dot. 
Otherwise  a dash  will  be  sent.  Figure  1 gives  an  example. 


Table  entry:  Byte  1 = 0000001 0B  Byte  2 = 0000001  OB 

According  to  byte  1,  we  read  two  bits  of  byte  2 from 
right  to  left,  generating  a dot  for  the  zero  bit  and  a dash 
for  the  next  bit  since  it  is  a one.  This  gives  us  the  Morse 
Code  equivalent  of  the  letter  'A'. 

Figure  1. 


The  tone  generation  portion  of  the  program  operates 
on  the  same  principle  as  many  of  the  popular  no-hard- 
ware computer  music  synthesizers.  The  processor  turns 
an  output  line  on  and  off  at  a high  rate,  thereby  generat- 
ing a square  wave  of  a frequency  In  the  audio  range.  This 
line  Is  then  coupled  to  an  amplifier,  where  the  wave’s 
level  Is  boosted  to  drive  a speaker.  The  output  line  Is 
usually  one  bit  of  a parallel  Interface.  However,  all  of  my 
Interfaces  are  serial  type.  Having  no  desire  to  buy  or 
build  a parallel  port,  I decided  that  the  Input  to  the  audio 


amplifier  could  be  connected  to  the  ‘INTE’  LED  on  the 
front  panel  of  the  computer  by  means  of  a .22  microfarad 
capacitor.  This  LED  Is  lit  whenever  Interrupts  are  en- 
abled by  the  processor.  This  means  that  the  LED  can  be 
turned  on  by  executing  an  'El'  (enable  Interrupts)  In- 
struction and  turned  off  by  executing  a ‘Dl’  (disable  In- 
terrupts) Instruction.  Instead  of  modulating  an  output 
port,  the  program  simply  executes  ’El'  and  'DC  instruc- 
tions at  a fast  rate,  causing  the  LED  to  blink,  and  thereby 
producing  a tone  for  the  amplifier.  Of  course,  If  a latch- 
ing parallel  Interface  is  available,  all  this  can  be  dis- 
carded by  following  the  procedure  detailed  In  Figure  2. 


Replace  all  ‘El’  instructions  with: 

MVI  A,1 

OUT  address  of  parallel  port 

Replace  all  ‘Dl’  instructions  with: 

MVI  A,0 

OUT  address  of  parallel  port 

Connect  audio  Input  line  in  series  with  a .22  microfarad 
capacitor  to  bit  0 of  your  parallel  port. 

Figure  2. 


All  timing  Is  controlled  by  four  variables  which  are  set 
at  the  beginning  of  the  program  to  send  code  at  about 
five  words  per  minute.  As  receiving  speed  increases,  the 
values  of  these  variables  may  be  adjusted  to  send  at  a 
higher  rate.  Table  1 lists  the  four  variables  and  values  for 
common  speeds. 

In  order  to  run  the  program,  two  routines  must  be  add- 
ed which  input  from  and  output  to  the  console  device. 
The  addresses  of  these  two  routines  must  be  stored  In 
the  main  program  as  follows: 

0206H  — Store  low  address  of  console  Input  routine 
0207H  — Store  high  address  of  console  Input  routine 
0209H  — Store  low  address  of  console  output  routine 
020AH  — Store  high  address  of  console  output  routine 

The  Input  routine  should  return  a character  from  the 
console  in  register  A.  The  output  routine  should  print  a 
character  from  register  C.  No  other  registers  are  to  be 
modified. 

One  last  address  should  be  added  at  locations  020CH 
(low  byte)  and  020DH  (high  byte).  This  is  the  address  that 
the  program  jumps  to  when  a carriage  return  with  no 
text  Is  typed  in  response  to  the  question  mark  prompt. 
This  address  should  be  the  entry  point  of  whatever  resi- 
dent monitor  is  present  In  the  system. 

With  regard  to  the  hardware  connection  between  the 
audio  amplifier  and  the  computer,  the  input  cable  (should 
be  shielded)  may  be  attached  to  the  Display  Control  board 
of  an  Altalr  8080A  Just  behind  the  ‘INTE’  light  and  run 
out  the  back  of  the  unit.  If  no  front  panel  Is  available,  a 
connection  may  be  made  to  the  S-100  bus  at  pin  28. 
Make  sure  that  the  amplifier  being  used  has  a fairly  high 
Input  Impedance  so  as  not  to  load  down  any  internal 
computer  circuits,  and  don’t  forget  the  .22  microfarad 
capacitor  between  the  computer  and  the  amplifier.  A 
good  ground  connection  Is  also  Important  to  minimize 
hum  and  noise  pickup. 

If  a parallel  port  Is  being  used,  the  connection  to  the 
amplifier  should  be  made  according  to  the  instructions 
given  In  Figure  2. 

While  all  of  this  may  seem  like  a lot  of  work,  It  goes 
quickly  and  yields  surprisingly  good  results.  You’ll  look 
far  and  wide  before  you  find  a ham  who  sends  as  smoothly 
as  the  computer.  □ 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AQE  87 


Ftowdiarl  1 Main  Rovlb-w 


Ftowchan  1 Xmli  fcAwtlna 


88  INTERFACE  AQE 


OCTOBER  1978 


PROGRAM  LISTING 


0080 

• 

BUF 

EOU 

80H 

1 TERN INAL  READ  BUFFER 

0020 

• 

SPACE 

EQU 

20M 

1 SPACE  CHARACTER 

0000 

• 

CR 

EOU 

• OH 

1 CARRIAGE  RETURN 

000A 

■ 

LF 

EQU 

BAH 

ILINE  FEEO 

0007 

■ 

BELL 

EQU 

07H 

1 BELL 

0B7F 

■ 

RUB 

EOU 

7FH 

; RUBOUT 

0000 

■ 

PITCH 

EQU 

BO0H 

1 SETS  FREQUENCY  OF  TONE 

0080 

• 

DASHL 

EQU 

80H 

1 SETS  DELAY  FOR  DASH 

0030 

■ 

00  TL 

EQU 

30H 

JSETS  DELAY  FOR  DOT 

000A 

■ 

SPACEL 

EQU 

•AH 

1 SET  DELAY  BETWEEN  SEND  UNITS 

FFFF 

• 

PAUSEL 

EQU 

•FFFFH 

J SET  DELAY  BETWEEN  CHARACTERS 

SBIDBi 

0100 

COB90I 

CALL 

INPUT 

1 READ  A LINE  FROM  CONSOLE 

0103 

1 16000 

LX  1 

D/  BUF 

01B6 

87 

ORA 

A 

1 CHECK  COUNT  OF  CHARACTERS 

0107 

CA0E02 

JE 

DONE 

II F EERO  THEN  QUIT 

010A 

47 

SENOLi 

HOV 

B#  A 

I COUNT  OF  CHARACTERS  INTO  REG.  B 

0100 

IA 

LOAX 

0 

l GET  CHARACTER  TO  BE  SENT 

eioc 

4F 

HOV 

C/  A 

ISAVE  IN  REG.  C 

0100 

FE20 

CPI 

SPACE 

0I0F 

CC3CBI 

Cl 

PAUSE 

I IF  SPACE  THEN  PAUSE 

01  12 

CC3C0I 

Cl 

PAUSE 

0115 

CA340I 

Jl 

SEN  ON 

IAND  SEND  NEXT  CHARACTER 

0118 

FE26 

CPI 

40 

01 IA 

DA340I 

JC 

SEN  ON 

I HAKE  SURE  IT  IS  VALID 

0110 

FESB 

CPI 

' E ’ ♦ 1 

1 ELSE  SKIP  IT 

01  IF 

023401 

JNC 

SEN  ON 

0122 

211402 

LX  I 

M/ TABLE 

I SET  POINTER  TO  CONVERSION  TABLE 

0125 

05 

PUSH 

0 

I SAVE  REG.  D-E 

0126 

0628 

SUI 

40 

I SUBTRACT  LOWEST  VALID  CHARACTER 

Bl  28 

17 

RAL 

ITIHES  2 

0129 

5F 

HOV 

E,  A 

1 SET  UP  ADDITION 

8I2A 

1600 

HVI 

0,0 

1 CLEAR  D REG. 

0I2C 

19 

DAO 

D 

1 POIMT  TO  TABLE  ENTRY 

0 1 2D 

CD5201 

CALL 

XHIT 

I SEND  THE  CHARACTER 

0130 

01 

POP 

0 

I RESTORE  POINTER  TO  BUFFER 

0131 

CO3C0I 

SEN ONi 

CALL 

PAUSE 

IVAIT  BEFORE  NEXT  CHARACTER 

• 134 

13 

I NX 

0 

JNDCT  CHARACTER 

0135 

05 

OCR 

B 

0136 

C20BBI 

JNE 

SENDL 

J LOOP  TIL  BUFFER  EHPTY 

0139 

C30O6I 

JNP 

SENDS 

nr  EHPTY  START  OVER 

PAUSE l 

• ISC 

F5 

PUSH 

PSV 

iSAVE  STATUS 

• 130 

05 

PUSH 

0 

BISE 

1 E02 

PAUIl 

HVI 

£/  2 

0140 

21FFTF 

LX! 

K«  PAUSEL 

0143 

2D 

OCR 

L 

• 144 

C2430I 

JNE 

8- 1 

1 DELAY  BETWEEN  CHARACTERS 

8147 

25 

OCR 

H 

8148 

C243B1 

JNE 

8-5 

814B 

10 

OCR 

E 

II4C 

C248BI 

JNE 

PAU1 

II4F 

01 

POP 

D 

1150 

FI 

POP 

PSV 

1 RESTORE  STATUS 

>151 

C9 

RET 

•iss  rs 
1 1 S3  CS 
8154  46 

eiss  af 

CIS6  Be 
•I 57  CA6DBI 
C1SA  23 
•ISB  4C 

BISC  79 
0 1 SO  B7 
BISE  IF 
etSF  DC7001 
0162  D489BI 
0165  4 F 
B I 66  CDA2BI 
Bl 69  OS 
BI6A  C2SC6I 

BI6D  Cl 
BI6E  FI 
0I6F  C9 


0170  F5 

0171  ES 

0172  2680 

0174  F3 

0175  2ED0 
•177  20 
0178  C2770I 
0I7B  FB 
0I7C  2EO0 
0I7E  2D 
0I7F  C27E8I 
•182  25 
0183  C2740I 
0186  £1 

0187  FI 

0188  C9 


0189  F5 
0I8A  ES 
BIBB  2630 

0180  F3 
Cl  BE  2ED0 

0190  20 

0191  C290BI 

0194  FB 

0195  2ED0 

0197  20 

0198  C29701 
0I9B  25 
0I9C  C28D0I 
0I9F  El 
0IA0  FI 
0IAI  C9 


•IA2  FS 
BIAS  ES 
8IA4  26BA 


PUSH 

PSV 

ISAVE  STATUS 

PUSH 

B 

HOV 

D,M 

IOET  NUMBER  OF  UNITS 

XRA 

A 

I CLEAR  ACCUMULATOR 

ORA 

B 

I SEE  IF  REG.  B IS  EERO 

JE 

XHITE 

IIP  SO  THEN  DO  NOT  SEND 

I NX 

H 

HOV 

C/M 

ISAVE  BYTE  CODE  IN  REG.  C 

HOV 

A»  C 

1 GET  BYTE  COOE  FROH  REG.  C 

ORA 

A 

1 CLEAR  CARRY  FLAG 

RAR 

ITEST  FIRST  BIT 

cc 

DASH 

IIF  HIGH  THEN  SEND  A DASH 

CNC 

DOT 

I IF  LOW  THEN  SEND  A DOT 

HOV 

C/A 

ISAVE  SHIFTED  CODE 

CALL 

SPACER 

I DELAY  BEFORE  SENDING  NEXT  UNIT 

DCR 

B 

1 CHECK  COUNT 

JNE 

XHITL 

I LOOP  UNTIL  EERO 

POP 

B 

1 RESTORE  ALL  REGS. 

POP 

PSW 

RET 

PUSH 

PSV 

ISAVE  ALL  REGS. 

PUSH 

H 

HVI 

H, DASHL 

1 DELAY  FOR  DASH 

01 

HVI 

L, PITCH 

1 FREQUENCY  DETERMINING 

DCR 

L 

JNE 

8-1 

E! 

INEXT  CYCLE 

HVI 

L/ PITCH 

I HAKE  SQUARE  WAVE 

OCR 

L 

JNE 

8- 1 

OCR 

H 

1 MAJOR  LOOP 

JNE 

DA  SHI 

POP 

H 

POP 

PSW 

1 RESTORE  REGS. 

RET 

PUSH 

PSW 

ISAVE  ALL  REGS* 

PUSH 

H 

HVI 

H»  DOTL 

1 DELAY  FOR  DOT 

01 

HVI 

L, PITCH 

1 FREQUENCY  DETERMINING 

DCR 

L 

JNE 

8-1 

El 

HVI 

L/PITCM 

IMAXE  SQUARE  WAVE 

DCR 

L 

JNE 

8-1 

OCR 

H 

JNE 

DOT  1 

1 MAJOR  LOOP 

POP 

K 

POP 

PSW 

1 RESTORE  REGS. 

RET 

1 

PUSH 

PSW 

ISAVE  ALL  REGS. 

POSH 

KV! 


H, SPACEL  I PAUSE  FOP  A DOT 


0IA6  2ED0 

HVI 

L/ PI TCH  I FREQUENCY  DETERMINING 

0IA8  2D 

DCR 

L 

0IA9  C2A80I 

JNC 

8-1 

• 1 AC  2ED0 

HVI 

L/Pl TCH  I FREQUENCY  DETERMINING 

01 AE  20 

DCR 

L 

0IAF  C2AE01 

JNC 

8-1 

0IB2  25 

DCR 

H 

0 1 83  C2A60I 

JNC 

SPAC1 

0106  El 

POP 

H 1 RESTORE  REGS. 

•IB7  FI 

POP 

PSV 

•IB8  C9 

RET 

1 

BUFFERED  INPUT  ROUTINE 

I 

TYPING  A RUDOUT  WILL  DELETE  THE  PREVIOUSLY  TYPED  CHARACTER 

t 

AND  RE-ECHO  IT.  TYPING  A RUBOUT  WITH  NO  CHARATERS  ON  LINE 

I 

WILL  ECHO  A BELL. 

A BELL  WILL  ALSO  BE  ECHOED  IF  THE  MAXIMUM 

1 

LINE  LIMIT  OF  80 

CHARACTERS  IS  EXCEEDED 

1 

INPUTl 

0IB9  COFA0I 

CALL 

CRLF  I ECHO  A CR  ANO  A LF 

•IBC  0E3F 

HVI 

C#  ' 7 * I DISPLAY  PROMPT 

0 1 BE  C 00802 

CALL 

COUT 

0 1 Cl  218000 

LX! 

H/  BUF  I INPUT  BUFFER 

0IC4  0658 

HVI 

B,80  ILINE  LIMIT 

INI  1 

0IC6  CD0S02 

CALL 

CINP  I GET  CHARACTER  FROM  CONSOLE 

0IC9  77 

MOV 

N,A  1 STORE  IN  MEMORY 

•ICA  FE0D 

CPI 

CR  1 SEE  IF  FINISHED 

•ICC  CAEA0I 

JC 

IMPEND 

0ICF  FE7F 

CPI 

RUB  1 SEE  IF  A DELETE 

0101  CAEEBI 

JC 

RUDCHR 

0 1 04  23 

I NX 

H J NEXT  LOCATION 

OIOS  05 

OCR 

B 1 CHECK  COUNT 

•106  C2E30I 

JNC 

INR 

0109  04 

INR 

B i IF  LIMIT  EXCEEOEO 

•IDA  2B 

OCX 

H 

I ERROR! 

01 DB  0E07 

MV1 

C* BELL  I ECHO  A BELL 

01  DO  C 00802 

CALL 

COUT 

0IE0  C3C60I 

JHP 

INI  IAND  GET  NEXT  CHARACTER 

IN2 « 

0IE3  4F 

MOV 

C#  A 

0IE4  CD0802 

CALL 

COUT  1 ECHO  CHARACTER 

0IE7  C3C60I 

JHP 

INI 

INPENDt 

0 1 EA  3E50 

MV! 

A.  80 

•ICC  90 

SUB 

B 1 RETURN  WITH  NUMBER  OF 

01  ED  C9 

RET 

I CHARACTERS  IN  REG.  A 

RUBCHRi 

• 1 EE  78 

HOV 

A/  B 1 CHECK  COUNT 

0 IEF  FE50 

CPI 

80 

0IFI  CADB01 

JC 

1 ERROR  IIF  EERO  THEN  AN  ERROR 

0IF4  04 

INR 

B 1 ELSE 

01FS  20 

OCX 

H 1 DELETE  LAST  CHARACTER 

0IF6  7E 

MOV 

A/H 

01F7  C3E301 
1 

JHP 

1N2  1 ANO  RE-ECHO  IT 

CRLFl 

01  FA  0E0D 

HVI 

C# CR  1 ECHO  A CARRIAGE  RETURN 

OIFC  C 00802 

CALL 

COUT 

•IFF  0E0A 

HVI 

c*lf  ; and  a line  feeo 

0201  C 00802 

CALL 

COUT 

0204  C9 

RET 

1 

JUMPS  TO  I/O  ROUTINES 

0205  C30000 

CINPl  JHP 

00000H  1 CONSOLE  INPUT  ROUTINE 

0208  C30000 

COUTl  JHP 

eeeeoH  > console  output  routine 

020B  C30000 

BOOTi  JHP 

aeeeoH  i monitor  entry  point 

1 

DON  El 

020E  CDF AO  1 

CALL 

CRLF  1 PRINT  A CR  ANO  LF 

0211  C30B02 

JHP 

BOOT  1 RETURN  TO  SYSTEM  MONITOR 

I 

TABLE  OF  LETTERS 

TABLE  1 

0214  0620 

DO 

6.  101 I0IB 

0216  0620 

DD 

6/  101  1 0 1 B 

0218  0000 

DB 

0/00 

02) A 0000 

DB 

0/OB 

02 1 C 0633 

OB 

6,1100118 

021 E 0000 

OB 

0/OB 

0220  062A 

OB 

6/1010108 

0222  0509 

OB 

S/0I0OID 

0224  05 1 F 

DD 

5/I1IIIB 

0226  05 1 E 

DB 

5/ II  HOB 

0228  05  1C 

OB 

5/  1 1 I0OB 

022A  B5IB 

DB 

5/  1 I0C0B 

022C  0510 

DB 

5/  100000 

022C  0500 

DB 

5/000000 

0230  0501 

OB 

5/00C0IB 

0232  0503 

DB 

S/0001  IB 

0234  0507 

DD 

S/00I1IB 

0236  050F 

DB 

5/01  1 1 IB 

0238  0607 

DD 

6/0001  1 IB 

023A  0615 

DB 

6/ 01010 IB 

•23C  0000 

DB 

O,0B 

023E  0000 

OB 

0/0B 

0240  0800 

DB 

0/0B 

0242  060C 

OD 

6/001  I00D 

•244  0000 

OB 

O/0B 

0246  0202 

OB 

2/  I0B 

0248  0401 

DD 

4/ 000  IB 

024A  0405 

00 

4/010ID 

024C  0301 

DB 

3/ 00 IB 

024E  0100 

OB 

I/0B 

0250  0404 

DB 

4/0100B 

0252  0303 

DB 

3/01  IB 

0254  0400 

OB 

4/0000B 

0256  0200 

DB 

2/00B 

•258  040E 

DB 

4* 1 1 I0B 

02SA  0305 

DB 

3/  1 0 1 B 

02SC  0402 

DB 

4/00106 

025E  0203 

DB 

2/1  IB 

0260  0201 

DD 

2/  BIB 

0262  0307 

DB 

3/  1 1 IB 

0264  0406 

DB 

4/01 I0B 

•266  040B 

DB 

4/101  IB 

0268  0302 

OB 

3/01  0B 

026A  0300 

DB 

3/0000 

026C  0101 

DD 

1/  IB 

026E  0304 

DB 

3/ IO0B 

0270  0408 

DD 

4/ I000B 

0272  0306 

DB 

3/ 1 1 OP 

•274  0409 

DB 

4/ IO0IB 

0276  040D 

DB 

4/ 1 1 • IB 

0278  0403 

DB 

4/001  IB 

OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  89 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


By  Rodnay  Zaks 

SYBEX,  Inc. 

BUSINESS  MICROCOMPUTERS: 
FRAUD  OR  REALITY? 

Microcomputers  have  been  widely 
advertised  as  being  applicable  to 
many  type  of  small  businesses. 
Within  the  last  several  months  hard- 
ware costs  have  dropped  below  the 
$10,000  mark,  thus  putting  the  pro- 
spect of  automation  closer  to  the 
small  businessman’s  pocketbook. 

With  this  decrease  in  cost  has 
come,  surprisingly  enough,  an  ex- 
tremely high  degree  of  capability,  or 
more  correctly,  probable  capabili- 
ties. The  essential  question,  how- 
ever, is:  do  microcomputers  offer 
total  capabilities  to  the  business- 
man today? 

The  answer  to  this  question  is  an 
emphatic  No!  But  to  understand 
why,  an  understanding  of  where  the 
business  micro  came  from  and  what 
it  is  expected  to  do  must  be  explored. 

FROM  HOME  TO 
BUSINESS  COMPUTERS 

An  article  in  the  January  1975 
issue  of  Popular  Electronics,  by 
Leslie  Solomon,  revealed  the  ex- 
istence of  a low  cost  microcomputer 
available  to  hobbyists.  The  com- 
puter was,  of  course,  the  MITS 
Altair,  based  on  the  8080  micro- 
processor. With  the  publication  of 
the  article  came  the  beginning  of 
what  was  projected  to  be  a huge 
home  computing  market. 

Within  months,  small  companies 
were  forming  to  fill  the  hardware 
gap,  and  no  end  appeared  in  sight. 
Yet  three  years  later  the  hobbyist 
market  has  bottomed  out  and  the  in- 
dustry is  targeting  to  an  even  more 
promising  market:  the  small  busi- 
ness. However,  with  this  market 
turnaround  has  come  different  prob- 
lems for  the  manufacturers. 

Businessmen  cannot  and  will  not 
tolerate  the  lengthy  delays  that  so 
characterized  the  industry  In  its  hob- 
byist days.  Reliability  has  become 
an  even  more  important  factor;  and, 
of  course,  cost. 

Taking  all  of  these  problems  into 
account,  the  industry  has  done  well 
in  providing  solutions  to  meet  deliv- 
ery dates,  and  improving  industry  to 
end  user  relations. 

But  with  improving  the  hardware 
and  reducing  costs,  the  microcom- 
puter manufacturer  has  created  yet 
another  problem:  that  of  represent- 
ing current  systems  as  the  busi- 


nessman's rosetta  stone  — the  cure- 
all  that  will  solve  all  the  ills  and 
management  problems  of  ALL  small 
businesses  in  the  country.  Is  this  a 
Fraud  or  a Reality? 

REQUIREMENTS  OF 
BUSINESS  COMPUTING 

Automating  any  small  business 
requires  the  availability  of  special- 
ized files  and  file  management  pro- 
grams for:  accounts  receivable,  ac- 
counts payable,  payroll,  general 
ledger,  inventory,  tax,  bank  ac- 
counts, sales  reports,  and  other 
reports,  journals  or  ledgers  that  are 
important  to  a specific  business 
type.  To  automate  these  types  of  ac- 
tivities offers  a welcome  benefit 
when  time  is  of  consideration.  The 
results  should  be  threefold:  improved 
accuracy,  almost  instant  availability 
of  reports  and  statistics  and  a reduc- 
tion in  manpower. 

However,  to  achieve  all  these 
benefits  a method  of  file  manage- 
ment must  be  established.  This 
means  that  whenever  a transaction 
is  performed,  all  necessary  pro- 
grams or  subsystems  must  be  pro- 
perly updated  without  performing 
extra  entries  of  the  same  information. 

For  example,  when  a sales  trans- 
action is  entered  the  customer  and 
sales  information  are  entered  along 
with  a billing  date.  On  entry,  the  ac- 
counts receivable  journal  should  be 
updated  along  with  establishing  a 
new  record  to  the  customer  file. 
While  this  is  taking  place,  or  in  se- 
quence with,  the  inventory  records 
are  updated  to  reflect  the  notation 
that  an  item(s)  have  sold  and  are 
physically  removed  from  the  shelves. 
When  the  billing  date  is  established, 
a shipping  date  may  be  in  order 
which  causes  another  sequence  of 
events  to  take  place. 

Sounds  complicated,  but  is  only  a 
direct  reflection  of  what  is  done 
every  day  under  manual  methods. 

Another  requirement  for  business 
computer  systems  is  that  the  differ- 
ences between  businesses  must  be 
taken  into  consideration.  An  account- 
ing system  that  works  well  for  a 
hardware  store  will  probably  be  of 
no  use  to  a book  dealer  or  dry  clean- 
ing operation.  Each  business  has 
different  needs;  even  those  busi- 
nesses engaged  in  the  same  type  of 
activity.  Consequently,  both  the 
hardware  — physical  computer  sys- 
tem — and  software  — the  working 
programs  — must  be  designed  to  fit 
the  defined  user’s  needs. 


Flexibility  is  also  essential  in  a busi- 
ness environment.  Initially  the  needs 
of  the  business  might  be  served  by  a 
number  of  simple  software  packages 
performing  the  traditional  functions. 
However,  it  might  quickly  become 
desirable  to  add  other  customized 
routines  to  this  set.  Unless  the  com- 
petence exists  in-house  and  all 
packages  being  utilized  are  fully 
documented,  the  task  necessary  to 
add  the  required  additional  facilities 
might  become  prohibitive. 

The  requirements  of  the  small  busi- 
ness are  technically  best  served  by  a 
highly  complex  set  of  programs  cus- 
tomized for  the  specific  business. 
Clearly,  this  approach  is  not  now  real- 
istic in  view  of  the  general  unavail- 
ability of  sophisticated  software  and 
the  very  high  cost  of  programming 
relative  to  the  cost  of  the  hardware. 
Limitations  in  the  value  of  the  busi- 
ness programs  will  therefore  exist. 

THE  HARDWARE 

Every  microcomputer  system  first 
requires  a box  containing  the  micro- 
computer itself,  i.e.  the  micropro- 
cessor board,  the  memory  boards, 
any  required  interface  boards,  plus  a 
power  supply.  In  addition,  the 
system  requires  a business  quality 
printer,  a CRT  terminal  and  some 
form  of  mass  storage. 

The  microcomputer  itself  often 
appears  as  the  crucial  choice  in  the 
selection  of  a business  system.  It  is 
probably  the  least  important  one. 
The  speed  of  the  microprocessor 
itself  is  almost  irrelevant.  Because 
nearly  ail  business  systems  are  im- 
plemented in  a high  level  language, 
the  efficiency  of  the  software  inter- 
preter or  compiler  which  is  used  to 
execute  this  high  level  language  is 
the  item  of  crucial  importance  for 
the  efficiency  of  the  system. 

There  are  naturally  advantages 
and  disadvantages  inherent  to  each 
microprocessor.  For  example,  in 
order  to  enjoy  the  possible  benefits 
of  standardized  boards,  any  system 
providing  an  S-100  bus  offers  an  ad- 
vantage. It  requires,  in  turn,  an  8080 
or  Z80  microprocessor.  However, 
provided  that  the  sufficient  set  of 
peripherals  be  available  from  the 
start,  the  option  to  be  able  to  add 
new  fancy  boards  may  be  more  ap- 
pealing to  the  hobbyist  than  the 
business  person,  and  other  busses 
than  S-100  might  be  equaly  accept- 
able. The  choice  of  this  beautiful 
microprocessor  box  may  therefore 
be  based  on  the  established  reputa- 


90  INTERFACE  AQE 


OCTOBER  1978 


IMMEDIATE  DELIVERY 


tion  of  the  manufacturer,  its  assumed 
reliability,  or  the  possible  advan- 
tages of  its  bus  structure. 

The  hardware  items  which  may 
have  the  most  important  signifi- 
cance for  the  businessman  are  by 
far  the  peripherals.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  cost  of  the  peri- 
pherals will  usually  be  the  dominant 
cost  in  a system.  Peripherals  are 
likely  to  be  usable  over  a significant 
period  of  time,  whereas  the  micro- 
computer mainframe  is  likely  to  be 
obsolete  in  a short  amount  of  time. 
It  might  be  more  valuable  to  invest 
time  in  the  correct  selection  of  the 
long  lived  expensive  peripherals  than 
in  the  selection  of  the  mainframe. 

THE  SOFTWARE 

Software  refers  to  all  the  pro- 
grams necessary  to  make  efficient 
use  of  the  set  of  hardware  resources 
available  on  a system.  At  this  time, 
no  complete  business  software 
facility  exists  for  microcomputers! 

Partial  implementations  exist  and 
a number  of  simple  packages  are 
now  available  which  will  perform 
(usually  separately)  payroll,  ac- 
counts receivable,  general  ledger, 
and  other  functions.  However,  the 
crucial  task  of  simultaneous  file 
management  and  sequential  activa- 
tion of  selected  programs  is,  as  yet, 
not  implemented.  Such  software 
solves  business  problems  indivi- 
dually but  does  not  provide  the  com- 
prehensive facility  needed  for  the  effi- 
cient use  of  the  hardware  resources. 

Because  good  comprehensive  soft- 
ware is  not  yet  available,  microcom- 
puters do  not  have  the  capability  of 
solving  all  the  business  problems 
that  are  advertised. 

IS  THIS  A FRAUD? 

Current  software  available  for  micro- 
computers makes  them  capable  of 
solving  a large  number  of  tasks  com- 
monly associated  with  business  ac- 
counting and  bookkeeping.  Because 
of  the  limitation  in  the  automatic  file 
handling  capability  of  most  of  these 
programs,  the  computerization  of 
these  tasks  may  not  result  in  any 
savings  in  terms  of  personnel.  The 
entry  of  data  for  computer  use  tends 
to  be  longer  and  more  complex  than 
the  manual  typing  of  invoices  or  fill- 
ing out  of  conventional  forms.  This 
is  because  a number  of  extra  fields 
are  required,  and  the  entry  format  is 
highly  structured.  As  a result,  in 
most  small  companies  computeriza- 
tion might  require  somewhat  more 
manpower  than  less. 

In  addition,  the  possible  unreliabil- 
ity of  hardware  and  software  compo- 
nents might  result  in  catastrophic 
system  breakdown.  Every  small  busi- 


ness owner  will  fully  realize  the  com- 
puter "down"  at  the  time  that  payroll 
checks  should  be  generated,  especi- 
ally when  the  data  needed  has  been 
saved  on  a single  disk  file  which  has 
just  been  wiped  because  of  “accident- 
al” error.  These  drawbacks  are  real. 

THE  REAL  ADVANTAGES 

The  real  value  of  contemporary 
microcomputer  systems,  with  their 
limited  software,  lies  in  two  areas: 
management  education,  and  future 
savings. 

Every  user  of  new  and  complex 
machinery  must  spend  a significant 
period  of  time  to  learn  the  skills 
necessary  to  evaluate  and  control  It. 
Therefore,  it  is  considered  highly  ad- 
visable to  practice  on  a used  compu- 
ter, rather  than  the  expensive  new 
one,  the  first  time  around. 

With  the  introduction  of  compu- 
ters in  a business,  a phenomenon 
known  as  computer  shock  occurs. 
The  radical  change  of  procedures  re- 
quired by  computer  programs  often 
causes  personnel  to  leave,  rebel,  or 
otherwise  lose  their  efficiency. 
Similarly,  catastrophic  initial 
failures  are  likely  to  occur  in  the 
form  of  data  being  wiped  out  or  not 
being  produced  at  the  right  time. 

However,  because  of  the  limited 
cost  of  microcomputers  today,  a 
heretofore  unknown  opportunity  ex- 
ists for  the  business  owner  to 
familiarize  himself  and  his  em- 
ployees at  minimal  cost  with  this 
new  technique. 

In  summary,  microcomputers  to- 
day offer  the  capability  to  learn  busi- 
ness computerization  at  a modest 
cost.  In  addition,  they  have  the  po- 
tential in  specific  situations  to  bring 
modest  or  sometimes  significant 
savings  in  the  case  of  business  ex- 
pansion. Finally,  they  may  be  able  to 
supply  business  capabilities  which 
were  simply  not  existent  before. 

For  these  reasons,  current  micro- 
computers are  likely  to  pay  for  them- 
selves several  times  over  in  direct 
business  benefits  as  well  as  educa- 
tion for  the  business  owner.  They 
are  far  from  having  attained  the  true 
business  automation  capabilities 
which  larger  computers  have  demon- 
strated so  far  and  should  not  be  pre- 
sented as  such.  Business  micro- 
computers are  a reality.  The  realistic 
evaluation  of  their  limitations  is  also 
a necessity.  □ 


This  page  is  reserved  for  any  com- 
pany editorial  geared  to  the  small 
business  market.  Please  send  your 
editorial  directly  to  Carl  Warren, 
Senior  Editor,  INTERFACE  AGE 
Magazine,  P.O.  Box  1234,  Cerritos, 
CA  90701.  


ALPHA  MICRO 
ACCOUNTING 
SOFTWARE 


A generalized  interactive  bookkeep- 
ing and  accounting  system  created 
by  our  staff  of  Certified  Public 
Accountants  for  our  accounting 
practice. 


This  system  has  been  in  constant 
use  during  1978  with  numerous 
clients  covering  a wide  range  of 
business  and  non-profit  activities. 
The  PJA  accounting  system  is  a 
complete  accounting  system  and 
includes  the  following  subsystems: 
Accounts  Payable,  Accounts  Re- 
ceivable, Cash  Disbursements,  Cash 
Receipts,  Financial  Statements, 
Fixed  Assets,  General  Ledger,  In- 
ventory, Payroll  and  Sales.  We  plan 
for  future  updates  to  contain  the 
following  subsystems:  Medical  and 
Professional  Billings,  Job  Costing 
and  Work  in  Progress,  Order  En- 
try, EOQ  Purchase  Orders. 

The  entire  system  is  menu  driven 
and  chained  together  allowing  the 
user  to  execute  all  functions  without 
leaving  the  PJA  system's  control. 
Advance  CRT  menu  screens  are 
used  throughout,  permitting  the  use 
of  personnel  less  familiar  with 
computers  and  accounting.  Data 
entry  defaults  and  edit  controls  are 
used  whenever  possible  to  increase 
accuracy  and  productivity.  In  addi- 
tion, all  subsystems  are  interfaced 
with  the  general  ledger  thus  elimin- 
ating the  need  to  enter  data  more 
than  once. 

The  complete  package  and  docu- 
mentation is  available  for  $2500. 
Updates  will  be  provided  to  all  users 
at  a cost  of  $25.00  per  update. 


This  system  requires  an  Alpha 
Micro  computer  system,  minimum 
of  48k  of  memory,  CRT,  printer  and 
dual  floppy  disk  drive. 


JfadUon  wnd 
447  EAST  5TH  AVENUE 
ANCHORAGE.  ALASKA  99501 
(907)  272-7261 


DEALER  INQUIRIES  INVITED 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  46 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  91 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


Most  literature  in  the  computer  field  today  is  geared 
towards  people  who  have  a great  deal  of  familiarity  with 
computers.  The  literature  is  not  geared  towards  people 
who  are  business  oriented.  Most  of  the  applications  for 
computers  in  the  coming  years  are  going  to  be  for  the 
businessman,  the  purpose  of  this  article  is  to  help 
bridge  the  gap,  and  to  make  computers  and  computer 
applications  understandable  to  the  businessman. 

We  will  discuss  what  use  the  computer  has  to  a busi- 
ness and  will  show  how  a computer  fits  into  an  overall 
business  operation.  Figure  1 shows  the  fundamental  con- 
cept of  what  a computer  does.  The  input  to  the  computer 
is  data.  Examples  of  data  would  be:  Joe  Dokes  paid  $10 
for  a dozen  golf  balls  this  morning,  we  just  paid  a $214 
phone  bill,  or  Tom  Harris  made  a $240  sale  to  the  Jones 
Lumber  company.  Data  such  as  this  goes  into  the  compu- 
ter. The  computer  correlates  this  data,  rearranges  it  and 
combines  it  into  a useful  form.  The  output  of  this  would 
be  information.  Information  for  our  purposes  here  is  sim- 
ply correlated  data,  classified  data,  or  summarized  data. 

Figure  2 shows  how  a computer  fits  into  an  overall  busi- 
ness operation.  The  manager  or  owner  of  a business,  of 
course,  is  at  the  top  of  an  operation,  and  the  diagram 
shows  data  going  into  the  computer  from  the  manager 
and  also  from  the  organization  itself,  the  organization 
being  composed  of  individual  people.  The  diagram  also 
shows  information  going  back  to  the  manager,  to  the 
organization  or  the  people  in  the  organization.  The  com- 
puter in  no  way  eliminates  the  communication  that 
takes  place  between  the  manager  and  the  organization. 

If  you  look  at  a typical  business  operation,  you  will 


find  they  are  inundated  with  paper  work,  phone  calls, 
etc.  If  the  paper  work  and  phone  calls  reach  a sufficient 
volume,  the  business  can  get  to  a point  where  one  can’t 
see  the  forest  for  the  trees,  and  instead  of  proceeding  In 
an  orderly  fashion,  the  manager  and  the  organization 
itself  can  be  operating  in  a mode  where  it  just  handles 
the  first  emergency  that  comes  up. 

A computer  itself  is  not  going  to  put  order  into  any 
such  confusion  in  a business.  When  a business  decides 
to  get  a computer,  the  preparation  that  is  involved  in 
order  to  install  the  computer  forces  discipline  on  the 
business  itself.  The  computer  has  to  have  things  pre- 
sented to  it  in  a very  precise  manner  in  order  to  operate 
at  all.  The  mere  act  of  getting  ready  to  install  a computer 
system  can  put  enough  order  into  the  business  and  in- 
creased its  efficiency  to  such  a point  that  it  more  than 
pays  for  the  cost  of  the  computer  system. 

Take  another  look  at  Figure  2.  Figure  2 shows  that  the 
computer  makes  information  available  for  the  manager 
of  the  organization  and  also  to  the  employees  of  the 
organization.  This  increased  availability  of  information 
should  make  the  organization  more  productive,  should 
increase  the  availability  of  its  products  and  should 
smooth  out  the  interaction  of  the  organization  with  its 
environment  — its  customers,  its  vendors,  and  the  peo- 
ple in  the  neighboring  community. 

Figure  3 shows  the  menu  for  the  Business  Manage- 
ment System  that  we  use  on  the  AM-100  computer.  A 
menu  is  simply  a list  of  options.  We  will  go  through 
these  options  and  briefly  describe  what  each  one  does. 


Overview  of  A 
Business  Computer  System 

By  James  W.  Kitzmiller 


92  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


Figure  2.  Use  of  a computer  In  a business. 


WHICH  WOULD  YOU  LIKE  TO  DO? 

0 END 

1 ORDER  ENTRY 

2 INVENTORY  CONTROL 

3 SALES  ANALYSIS 

4 ACCOUNTS  RECEIVABLE 

5 ACCOUNTS  PAYABLE 

6 GENERAL  LEDGER 

7 

Figure  3.  Menu  for  the  AM-100  Buelneee  Management 
System. 

ORDER  ENTRY 

Option  number  one  is  order  entry.  Order  entry  is  the 
process  of  telling  the  computer  that  a customer  has 
bought  a certain  item  or  set  of  items  from  your  busi- 
ness. The  data  that  you  would  feed  into  the  computer  for 


an  order  entry  would  be  the  same  data  that  your  sales- 
man would  put  onto  a sales  slip  when  he  making  a sale; 
this  data  would  be  who  the  customer  is,  and  his  address. 
You  would  also  include  the  name  of  the  salesman  as  well 
as  what  item  is  purchased,  how  many  of  that  item,  and 
what  the  sales  price  is  as  well  as  the  total  price.  Please 
take  note  that  this  order  entry  provides  data  to  the  com- 
puter so  that  the  computer  in  a separate  action  can  pro- 
vide information  to  the  organization  and  to  the  manager. 
INVENTORY  CONTROL 

Inventory  is  the  collection  of  products  that  a business 
has  for  sale  to  its  customers.  Inventory  control  is  the 
process  of  keeping  track  of  how  many  of  those  items 
you  have,  when  it’s  time  to  get  more,  where  they  are 
stored,  how  fast  they  are  selling  and  so  forth.  The  inven- 
tory control  section  of  our  AM-100  Business  Manage- 
ment System  performs  a number  of  different  functions. 
One  is  the  actual  process  of  entering  data  into  your  in- 
ventory data  files  on  the  computer.  This  is  the  act  of  pro- 
viding data  to  the  computer.  Data  that  you  enter  would 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  93 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


be  a part  number  for  each  item,  a description  of  each 
item,  name  of  the  vendor  who  provides  that  item  to  your 
business,  the  purchase  price  for  that  item,  the  sales 
price  for  that  item,  how  fast  you  sell  that  particular  item, 
how  many  of  those  items  you  have  in  stock,  how  long  it 
takes  you  to  get  that  item  from  the  time  you  place  an 
order  for  the  item  until  you  receive  it,  and  so  forth.  The 
inventory  record  also  shows  how  many  of  those  items 
you  have  in  stock  and  also  how  many  of  those  items  you 
have  ordered  but  have  not  yet  received.  Also,  the  Inven- 
tory record  contains  data  about  how  many  of  those 
items  are  back-ordered.  Back-ordered  means  that  you 
have  made  a sale  to  a customer  but  were  unable  to 
deliver  the  item  right  away  because  you  did  not  have  it  in 
stock.  The  inventory  control  system  would  have  the 
ability  to  allow  you  to  add  all  of  this  data  into  the  files  as 
well  as  change  any  of  this  data. 

The  AM-100  Inventory  Control  System  produces  many 
reports.  The  first  such  report  is  an  Inventory  Status 
Report.  That  simply  lists  all  of  the  data  that  was  de- 
scribed above  for  each  individual  part  in  stock. 

The  Inventory  On  Order  Report  gives  the  business 
manager,  salesman  or  purchasing  agent  information 
about  which  items  have  been  purchased  by  the  com- 
pany but  have  not  yet  been  received. 

The  Inventory  Shortage  Report  gives  a list  of  the  in- 
ventory items  that  it  is  time  to  purchase.  This  is  dif- 
ferent from  being  out  of  an  item.  The  computer  program 
takes  into  account  the  fact  that  the  items  are  being  used 
at  a certain  rate  and  the  fact  that  there  is  a certain  time 
period  from  the  time  that  an  order  is  placed  until  the 
item  is  actually  received.  The  Inventory  Shortage  Report 
gives  a list  of  the  items  which  should  be  purchased  at 
this  time  from  the  vendors. 

Another  option  of  our  AM-100  Inventory  Control  System 
allows  the  purchasing  agent  for  the  business  to  select 
which  of  the  items  to  order  at  this  time.  He  will  use 
knowledge  of  the  availability  of  cash  and  credit  in  order 
to  determine  which  of  those  items  should  be  purchased. 

Another  section  of  our  Inventory  Control  System  is  the 
Physical  Inventory  Checklist.  This  is  a list  of  inventory 
items  printed  on  an  8V2"  x 11”  sheet  of  paper  that  allows 
a stock  clerk  In  the  organization  to  go  around  and  take  a 
physical  count  of  how  many  of  each  item  are  in  stock.  The 
result  of  this  physical  inventory  will  be  used  to  make  any 
corrections  of  errors  in  the  inventory  count  that  is  stored 
on  the  computer  itself.  For  example,  if  the  computer  says 
you  have  five  items  in  stock  but  the  physical  inventory 
count  shows  there  are  only  four,  the  business  owner  can 
correct  the  data  that  is  stored  on  the  computer. 

Another  inventory  report  is  the  Inventory  by  Value 
Report.  This  report  shows  the  dollar  value  of  each  inven- 
tory Item  in  stock.  For  example,  your  merchandise  was 
worth  a dollar  each,  and  you  have  four  of  them  in  stock, 
it  would  show  the  item,  four  dollars  worth  of  value;  it 
also  lists  how  many  and  the  cost  of  each  one.  The  com- 
puter sorts  this  data  in  to  the  order  of  total  value  for  each 
type  of  Item,  so  that  merchandise  of  greater  value  would 
appear  before  that  of  lesser  value. 

Another  feature  of  our  inventory  control  system 
allows  the  user  to  print  purchase  orders.  Rather  than 
printing  these  purchase  orders  on  a special  type  of 
form,  we  simply  print  them  on  a blank  8Vi"  x 11”  paper 
so  that  the  user  does  not  have  to  buy  any  special  forms. 

SALES  ANALYSIS 

A sale  is  the  transfer  of  ownership  of  a company  product 
to  a customer  and  receiving  monetary  exchange.  Analy- 
sis is  the  act  of  breaking  something  down  into  its  parts. 


The  Sales  Analysis  part  of  our  Business  Management 
System  performs  three  different  types  of  Sales  Analysis. 

The  first  type  is  Sales  Analysis  by  Salesman.  This 
lists  the  dollar  value  of  the  sales  for  each  salesman.  In- 
formation such  as  this  can  be  used  by  the  sales  mana- 
ger to  see  which  salesmen  are  doing  the  best,  and  he 
can  find  out  which  actions  these  salesmen  are  taking 
that  make  them  successful. 

Another  report  of  the  Sales  Analysis  System  is  Sales 
Analysis  by  Product.  The  business  owner,  business  man- 
ager, or  sales  manager  can  tell  which  products  are  moving 
the  best,  and  he  can  emphasize  sales  of  that  particular 
product  and  increase  production  in  that  area;  he  can  also 
tell  if  sales  of  a particular  product  have  dropped  off. 

The  next  section  of  the  sales  analysis  system  is  the 
Sales  Analysis  by  Customer.  This  allows  the  sales  man- 
ager to  determine  which  customers  are  buying  the  most. 
The  sales  manager  can  then  create  a sales  plan  to  ap- 
proach that  kind  of  customer  with  additional  products  in 
order  to  increase  sales. 

ACCOUNTS  PAYABLE 

Accounts  payable  is  Just  a list  of  the  people  to  whom 
you  owe  money,  and  it  tells  you  how  much  you  owe  each 
person. 

One  feature  of  our  Accounts  Payable  System  is  ven- 
dor file  maintenance.  Maintenance  is  the  act  of  keeping 
up  to  date.  A file  is  a collection  of  data  records  like  a card 
file.  A vendor  is  a person  from  whom  you  buy  products. 
You  can  maintain  the  data  about  vendors  through  this 
section  of  the  Business  Management  System.  A record 
is  a set  of  data  about  a particular  item.  You  might  keep  a 
record  on  a 3x5  card.  The  system  allows  you  to  add 
records  to  the  vendor  file,  delete  records,  change 
records,  list  vendor  records  on  your  terminal  or  list  ven- 
dor records  on  the  system  printer. 

The  major  report  of  the  accounts  payable  system  is 
the  Aged  Payables  Report.  This  is  just  a list  of  the  bills 
that  you  owe  by  age  with  the  oldest  bills  listed  first  on 
the  report. 

Another  report  is  the  Accounts  Payable  by  Vendor 
Report.  This  just  lists  how  much  you  owe  to  each  vendor. 

Another  section  of  the  Accounts  Payable  System 
allows  you  to  select  which  bills  to  pay  at  this  time.  The 
dollar  value  of  these  bills  Is  subtracted  from  the  cash  on 
hand,  and  the  fact  that  you  have  paid  those  bills  is 
entered  into  the  Accounts  Payable  System. 

ACCOUNTS  RECEIVABLE 

Accounts  Receivable  is  a list  of  who  owes  money  to 
your  company.  It  operates  very  similarly  to  the  Accounts 
Payable.  The  first  feature  of  the  Accounts  Receivable 
system  is  the  Customer  File  Maintenance.  This  allows 
you  to  add  customer  records,  delete  customer  records 
from  your  list,  change  data  in  the  customer  file,  print  out 
the  customer  records  on  the  user  terminal  and  print  cus- 
tomer records  on  the  system  printer. 

Another  feature  of  the  Accounts  Receivable  System 
is  invoicing.  Whenever  an  order  is  placed  by  the  Order 
Entry  System,  the  data  is  prepared  so  that  invoices  can 
be  made  and  sent  to  the  customer.  These  Invoices  are 
printed  on  standard  8V2"  x 11"  paper,  and  the  custom- 
er’s name  and  address  is  inserted  on  the  invoice  at  a 
position  where  it  will  appear  in  a window  envelope.  Your 
company  name  and  address  will  appear  on  the  Invoice; 
the  computer  will  print  this  for  you. 

The  AM-100  Business  Management  System  Accounts 
Receivable  Section  also  will  print  statements  for  you. 
Once  a month  or  as  often  as  you  choose,  the  system  will 


94  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


accumulate  records  of  all  unpaid  bills  owed  to  you  and 
send  out  statements  to  each  individual  customer. 

GENERAL  LEDGER 

A ledger  is  a book  where  you  keep  records  of  various 
ways  that  your  business  took  in  money,  spent  money, 
and  it  also  lists  various  things  that  your  business  owns 
and  the  various  places  where  your  business  owes 
money.  There  is  a separate  page  for  each  type  of  ex- 
pense or  each  type  of  income  and  so  forth.  A general 
ledger  is  a book  of  this  type. 

The  General  Ledger  System  allows  you  to  tell  the  com- 
puter where  you  received  money  or  where  you  spent  money 
and  how  much;  it  also  allows  you  to  tell  the  computer 
how  much  dollar  value  there  Is  on  each  thing  that  you 
own,  such  as  your  office  furniture  or  your  office  building. 
You  can  also  tell  the  computer  how  much  money  you 
owe  on  various  things,  such  as  the  mortgage  on  your 
building.  All  this  is  the  data  input  to  the  General  Ledger. 

The  General  Ledger  System  consists  of  numerous  re- 
ports. One  such  report  is  simply  a concise  printout  of 
the  data  that  you  entered  into  the  computer. 

Another  report  is  a listing  of  each  of  the  various  areas 
or  categories  that  you  used  to  define  the  assets  of  your 
business,  your  income,  expenses  and  so  forth,  and  it 
lists  how  many  dollars  you  have  allocated  in  total  to 
each  of  those  areas.  Another  report  is  the  Profit  and 
Loss  statement  sometimes  referred  to  as  an  Income 
Statement.  This  just  shows  you  how  much  money  you 
have  made  over  a specified  time  period,  such  as  the 
month  or  the  year. 


This  information  enables  the 
business  owner  and  the  employees 
to  act  in  a co-ordinated  fashion. . . 
and  do  co-ordinated  planning. . . 


The  General  Ledger  makes  a report  called  the  Capital 
Statement.  Capital  is  the  net  worth  of  the  owner  of  the 
business  or  the  net  worth  that  the  stockholders  have  in 
the  corporation.  A Capital  Statement  shows  the  in- 
crease in  net  worth  over  a given  time  period. 

Another  major  report  of  the  system  is  called  the  Bal- 
ance Sheet.  The  balance  sheet  shows  all  of  the  assets 
of  the  business  according  to  category;  it  lists  all  of  the 
liabilities  or  money  owed  by  the  business;  and  it  lists 
the  capital  of  the  business  all  according  to  the  funda- 
mental accounting  equation:  assets  equals  liabilities 
plus  capital.  So  the  balance  sheet  details  each  of  those 
categories  where  the  assets  are,  where  the  liabilities  are 
and  where  the  capital  is. 

CONCLUSION 

This  is  just  a very  brief  overview  of  what  a computer  sys- 
tem such  as  AM-100  Business  Management  System  does. 
Basically,  the  business  owner  and  his  employees  feed 
data  into  the  computer  and  get  out  information.  This  in- 
formation enables  the  business  owner  and  the  employees 
to  act  in  a co-ordinated  fashion. 

No  computer  system  is  going  to  do  the  thinking  for 
the  business  manager  or  his  employees.  The  computer 
will  give  information  to  the  manager,  and  the  manager 
with  his  judgement  and  perception  of  the  environment 
will  use  this  information  to  make  the  correct  decisions.D 


GLOSSARY 

Account 

A category  (type)  ot  Income,  ex- 
pense, asset,  liability,  capital,  etc.; 
a record  of  activity  In  such  a 
category. 

Accounting 

The  process  of  recording,  cate- 
gorizing and  summarizing  data  in- 
to a useful  form.  Although  it  is 
usually  concerned  with  finance, 
the  same  concepts  apply  to  other 
areas. 

Accounts  Payable 

A list  of  the  people  who  are  after 
your  money. 

Accounts  Receivable 

A list  of  the  people  who  owe  you 
money. 

Analysis 

The  act  of  breaking  an  area  into 
smaller  parts  and  learning  more 
about  the  area  by  studying  the 
parts. 

Computer 

A device  that  reads  in  data,  stores 
it,  rearranges,  makes  computa- 
tions and  tells  you  the  results. 

CRT 

The  TV  type  screen  with  the  key- 
board. (Abbreviation  for  cathode 
ray  tube  — an  electronics  term.) 

Data 

Records  of  details  of  events  that 
have  taken  place. 

Environment 

Surroundings  including  custom- 
ers, prospects,  competitors,  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  prevailing 
laws. 

General  Ledger 

A ledger  used  for  accounts  of  a 
general  nature.  There  can  be 
"non-general"  ledgers  such  as  an 
accounts  payable  ledger. 

Information 

Data  that  has  been  aligned,  cate- 
gorized and/or  summarized. 

Inventory 

Items  in  stock  that  are  to  be  sold. 

Inventory  Control 

The  process  of  keeping  track  of 
the  purchases,  storage  and  sales 
of  inventory  and  using  that  infor- 
mation to  optimize  purchasing 
schedules  and  quantities. 

Journal 

A place  where  you  record  trans- 
actions. In  manual  accounting 
systems,  a journal  Is  a book. 

Ledger 

A recording  of  accounts  with  rec- 
ords of  each  account  kept  in  a 
separate  area.  Usually  a ledger  is 
In  the  form  of  a book.  Each  page 
contains  Information  on  a partic- 
ular account. 

Menu 

A list  of  choices  such  as  in  a 
restaurant.  The  menu  appears  on 
the  computer  screen. 

Order 

A request  from  a customer  to  pur- 
chase your  products. 

Order  Entry 

The  act  of  informing  the  com- 
puter that  you  just  made  a sale.  It 
Includes  details  of  the  sale. 

Product 

That  which  Is  brought  Into  exist- 
ence by  your  company  and  can  be 
exchanged  with  the  public  for 
money  or  other  means  of  survival. 

Sale 

The  act  of  causing  someone  to 
buy  your  products  and  receiving  a 
monetary  exchange. 

Sales  Analysis 

The  process  of  studying  sales 
when  categorized  into  areas  such 
as  territory,  type  of  product,  type 
of  customer,  or  salesman. 

System 

A set  of  machines,  people  and/or 
policies  arranged  to  produce  a 
desired  product. 

Transaction 

An  Interchange  such  as  a sale  or 
a purchase. 

OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  95 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


The  Automated  Attorney 

By  Mathew  Tekulsky 


Tom  Lambert’s  Century  City,  California  law  office, 
which  specializes  in  aircraft  accident  suits,  has  no  full- 
time secretary.  Instead,  there's  a microcomputer  sitting 
in  the  corner.  With  this  computer  Lambert  feels  his  of- 
fice is  "on  the  leading  edge  of  the  frontier  in  this  par- 
ticular use  of  office  equipment.  Computers  are  getting 
into  a price  range  that  relatively  small  law  offices  can  af- 
ford, and  the  capabilities  of  the  machines,  if  used  effi- 
ciently, make  the  law  practice  of  a much  higher  quality.” 

This  means  a lot  more  than  just  typing  letters,  as  the 
computer  has  captured  the  central  role  in  Lambert’s 
three-man  law  office.  One  function  of  the  microcom- 
puter is  the  analysis  of  pertinent  data  in  pending  cases. 
For  example,  there  is  a family  of  three  or  four  programs 
that  are  designed  to  calculate  "the  dynamic  rollover” 
phenomenon  of  helicopters  and  to  make  a general  quan- 
titative evaluation  of  a sudden  loss  of  tail  rotor  thrust. 

“The  program  is  basically  an  inquiry  into  the  ground 
handling  stability  of  any  helicopter  on  any  particular  type 
of  terrain,"  Lambert  explains.  "When  we  put  in  the  speci- 
fic data  for  a particular  helicopter,  it  told  us  in  effect  that 
we  had  neither  a dynamic  rollover  nor  a ground  pitching 
instability  condition  operative  to  cause  the  helicopter 
accident  that  we  were  working  on.  We  use  it  as  an  explor- 
atory tool  and  itRs  somewhat  unique  to  our  office." 

But  then,  it’s  office  is  somewhat  unique.  All  three 
lawyers  are  professional  pilots,  and  two  out  of  three  are 
mechanical  engineers  by  trade.  Consequently,  they  do 
the  bulk  of  their  research  in-house.  Once  they  under- 
stand a problem,  they  go  to  outside  experts  for  confir- 
mation, review  and  preparation  of  expert  testimony  for 
the  trial. 

Another  family  of  programs  which  Lambert  developed 
involves  building  a mathematical  model  of  applied  loads 
for  the  "tail  feathers"  of  a helicopter  which  had  been  in- 
volved in  an  accident,  and  then  relating  that  to  the  ac- 
tual loads  of  the  components  that  broke. 

Lambert  explains  how  it  works:  “We  calculated  each 
of  the  failure  modes  of  the  component,  and  then  another 
program  compared  the  applied  load  to  the  resulting  fail- 
ure mode.  As  soon  as  a resulting  failure  mode  occurred, 
it  would  plot  a data  point.  This  gave  us  a whole  family  of 
curves  that  told  us  which  part  of  the  system  would  fail 
first  and  what  type  of  a failure  it  would  be.  Then  we  took 
the  strength  of  the  component  and  deteriorated  it  from 
100%  all  the  way  down  to  33%. " 

The  33%  is  significant  because  that  is  the  FAA  re- 
quired margin  of  safety.  For  tactical  reasons,  Lambert 
did  not  use  this  information  as  hard  evidence  during  a 
recent  trial.  However,  it  was  very  useful  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  litigation. 

His  third  family  of  programs  is  a damage  evaluation 
analysis.  "I’ve  never  really  been  totally  satisfied  with  the 
accuracy  of  how  actuaries  prepare  projected  economic 
loss  for  wrongful  death  cases,”  Lambert  says.  "This 
family  of  programs  is  designed  to  assess  the  economic 
loss  of  the  plaintiffs  in  wrongful  death  and  personal  in- 
jury lawsuits.  It  will  also  assess  the  value  of  the  ’loss  of 
companionship’  in  a wrongful  death  case  and  the  ‘pain 
and  suffering’  concept  in  a personal  injury  case.” 

The  program  itself  contains  certain  variables  such  as 
the  victim's  vital  statistics:  age,  the  probability  of  sur- 
vival to  a particular  age,  and  dates  of  birth  and  death. 
Then  the  computer  estimates  the  individual’s  future  rate 


of  earnings  and  rate  of  return  on  invested  capital,  takes 
a per  capita  basis  of  reduction  for  personal  consump- 
tion, and  whatever  is  left  over  belongs  to  the  survivors. 

The  program  calculates  the  loss  of  companionship  in 
a wrongful  death  situation  on  a per  diem  basis,  i.e.  how 
much  per  day.  It  does  the  same  thing  with  the  pain  and 
suffering  concept  in  a personal  injury  case  which,  accord- 
ing to  Lambert,  can  always  be  related  rationally  to  some 
value  of  dollars  over  a projected  period  of  time,  usually 
starting  high  nearer  to  the  injury  and  stabilizing  over  the 
individual’s  projected  life  span. 

"The  big  advantage  of  using  the  computer  for  this 
type  of  evaluation  is  that  you  can  do  quantum  jumps,” 
says  Lambert.  “With  this  method,  you  look  at  each  year 
in  the  individual's  projected  life  span  individually  as  op- 
posed to  taking  an  average  over  a life  span.  The  result 
you’re  trying  to  find  is  the  basic  economic  loss  that  is 
solidly,  economically  and  factuallyjustified.” 

Due  to  the  diversified  nature  of  aircraft  accidents, 
which  often  involve  international  parties  that  must  be 
treated  on  an  individual  basis,  this  program  is  extremely 
useful  to  Lambert. 

"The  variables  that  go  into  this  are  enormous,  so  we 
take  the  generalized  case  and  apply  it  to  specific  situa- 
tions,” he  says.  “And  something  in  a generalized  format 
like  this  is  particularly  important  when  you  get  into 
situations  in  which  you  have  a wide  range  of  rate  of 
return  of  invested  capital.  For  instance,  with  people  who 
are  earning  and  investing  their  money  outside  of  the 
United  States,  we  have  to  look  at  the  conditions  that  are 
applicable  to  them  in  order  to  determine  how  their 
families  have  been  deprived  by  the  loss. 

"The  difficult  conceptual  task  here  is  to  be  able  to 
foresee  what  the  variables  are  in  a generalized  case  for 
your  programming,  and  then  write  a program  that  doesn’t 
use  up  all  your  memory  by  taking  into  consideration  vari- 
ables that  aren’t  needed.  You  want  it  to  be  as  concise 
and  crisp  as  possible,  and  you  want  to  have  it  in  a simpli- 
fied format  so  you  can  use  it  and  explain  it  to  people 
who  don’t  understand  these  concepts  generally  anyway." 

This  is  the  jury  in  many  cases,  although  the  informa- 
tion is  useful  from  both  the  plaintiff’s  and  the  defense’s 
point  of  view.  For  his  output,  Lambert  employs  a tabular 
format  and  a curve  plot,  the  latter  of  which  offers  a 
graphic  view  of  the  validity  of  the  data. 

How  does  this  work  in  court? 

"Once  you  have  the  family  of  curves,  you  can  have 
your  economist  come  on  and  testify  that  the  rate  of  in- 
terest in  the  future  will  most  likely  be  a certain  percent, 
allowing  a little  leeway  on  the  low  side  and  on  the  high 
side,”  he  explains.  “Then  he  could  evaluate  with  some 
factual  backup  what  the  projected  rate  of  application  of 
earnings  would  be.  At  the  point  where  these  two  para- 
meters cross  on  the  curve  plot,  you  have  defined  a range 
of  hard  data  as  to  what  the  projected  economic  loss  to 
that  individual  is  on  the  most  rational  and  logical  basis.” 

Another  program  that  Lambert  has  just  started  writing 
is  an  attorney  time-keeping  system  with  features  that 
permit  adaptation  to  existing  accounting  systems  and 
the  Immediate  retention  and  recall  of  all  information 
that’s  within  a client’s  file.  This  would  include  how 
much  time  has  been  spent  on  certain  cases,  the  aging  of 
a client’s  account,  and  information  pertaining  to  the 
preparation  of  periodic  client  billings. 


96  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


BUSINESS  SECTION 


As  a result,  billing  will  be  easier  and  will  show  a con- 
tinuous account  of  what  has  transpired  in  each  case. 
This  is  cumbersome  to  do  by  hand  and  would  otherwise 
have  to  be  turned  over  to  a bookkeeper. 

In  the  area  of  word  processing,  Lambert  has  found 
many  applications  for  his  computer.  “One  of  its  very 
great  features  is  the  outlining  capability,”  he  says.  "It’s 
really  good  to  sit  down  and  organize  your  thoughts  in 
outline  form,  hit  the  research,  bring  the  results  back  and 
dictate  the  body  of  the  brief  for  the  secretary  to  type  up.” 

The  computer’s  text  editing  capability  allows  “Points 
and  Authorities”  (the  legal  terminology  for  “mini  briefs” 
submitted  to  the  court)  to  be  stored  on  disks,  edited  and 
made  applicable  to  the  problem  at  hand.  Lambert  puts 
everything  onto  a disk  initially,  and  after  it’s  reviewed 
and  edited,  he  decides  whether  it’s  worth  saving.  The 
computer  can  also  save  case  captions  (names  of  plain- 
tiffs vs.  names  of  defendants)  which  the  secretary  only 
has  to  type  out  once. 

Lambert  explains  how  all  of  this  facilitates  the  writing 
of  a legal  brief:  “With  each  new  pleading,  we  just  load  in 
the  caption  and  the  rest  of  the  pleading  from  some  other 
file  in  pieces  and  in  a certain  order  from  the  disk  into 
computer  memory.  Then  when  we’re  all  through,  we  can 
add  something  special  or  unique  to  it,  edit  it,  and  when 
we've  got  everything  we  want,  we  just  put  in  a signature 
line  and  a date.  That  completes  the  document  and  we 
can  save  that  in  a case  file  by  putting  it  into  the  disk 
under  its  own  file  name.  Then  we  print  out  the  hard 
copy,  reproduce  it  and  serve  it.  It’s  a much  quicker  way 
to  perform  the  very  tedious  tasks  that  are  normally  re- 
quired in  this  type  of  practice. 

“The  big  advantage  here  is  that  if  you  have  some 
small  error  in  the  middle  of  the  text,  you  don’t  have  to 
rewrite  15  pages.  You  just  go  back  in,  clean  up  the  mis- 
take, get  back  out  of  the  edit  mode  and  run  out  a new 
hard  copy.  It  only  takes  about  10  minutes.” 

THE SYSTEM 

Lambert’s  system  consists  of  a COMPAL  80  computer 
with  32K  memory,  a Multiterm  printer,  a 17”  Sanyo  tele- 
vision screen,  a single  disk  Micropolis  and  a cassette 
tape  recorder.  The  total  cost  is  about  $8,300,  which  in- 
cludes some  supplies  like  print  wheels  and  ribbons  as 
well  as  two  software  programs:  Micropolis  BASIC  and 
the  WORDPAL  word  processor. 

The  Multiterm  printer,  he  says,  is  comparable  in  price 
and  quality  to  the  Xerox  Diablo,  except  that  the  former 
comes  equipped  with  a forms  tractor  that  would  ordinarily 
cost  an  extra  $300.  It  also  has  a better  graphics  capability, 
but  otherwise,  “there’s  not  a great  deal  of  difference.” 

The  reason  he  has  both  a cassette  and  a disk  is  two- 
fold: first,  he  uses  the  cassette  for  a backup  and  second, 
much  canned  software  available  today  comes  in  cas- 
sette form,  particularly  in  the  numerical  area. 

As  far  as  software  is  concerned,  Lambert  has  written 
over  a dozen  programs.  In  addition,  he  uses  the  WORDPAL 
to  build  text  files  which  are  saved  and  recalled  in  a variety 
of  combinations.  Owing  to  the  somewhat  unique  nature  of 
his  practice,  the  computer’s  ability  to  handle  both  numeri- 
cal analyses  and  text  editing  is  its  strongest  attribute. 

Lambert  did  not  take  any  programming  courses.  He 
just  studied  the  manuals,  sat  down  and  started  writing. 
"I  used  to  use  basic  programming  when  I was  in  the 
aerospace  field,”  he  states,  “but  there  is  still  somewhat 
of  a learning  curve. 

“If  one  is  going  to  do  the  programming  oneself, 
there’s  only  one  way  to  do  it  — roll  up  your  sleeves, 
spend  some  time  with  the  manual,  spend  some  time 
writing  programs  and  do  it.  Until  you  learn,  you’re  going 
to  use  a lot  of  time  that  you  may  not  have,  and  once  you 


get  there,  it’s  like  flying  an  airplane  — you  have  to  stay 
current  and  proficient  by  updating,  expanding  and  writ- 
ing a new  program  every  month  or  so." 

The  alternative  to  this,  he  says,  is  to  go  to  a local  uni- 
versity or  computer  club  or  go  to  your  local  computer 
store,  hire  a computer  consultant,  work  out  what  the  ob- 
jective of  the  program  is  and  have  the  consultant  sit 
down  and  write  it.  This  may  or  may  not  cost  a great  deal, 
depending  upon  the  scope  of  the  program  objectives. 

In  terms  of  quantifying  the  value  of  his  own  programs, 
Lambert  "wouldn’t  even  know  where  to  start." 

"It’s  such  a unique  application,  there  may  be  no  market- 
place for  it,”  he  says,  “and  yet  when  you  find  a market- 
place, your  opposition  may  be  willing  to  pay  ten  times  the 
legitimate  price  for  it  to  eliminate  the  surprise  element.” 

Lambert  has  had  his  computer  for  about  four  months 
and  although  he  is  not  taking  advantage  of  every  feature 
the  machine  has  to  offer,  the  computer  was  an  improve- 
ment over  his  existing  method  within  a week  after  the 
system  was  purchased. 

“The  WORDPAL  part  of  the  system  is  far  and  away  the 
easiest  to  learn,  and  it’s  the  quickest,”  he  says.  "The 
text  editing  can  be  learned  by  any  competent  secretary 
in  no  more  than  a week’s  time." 

THE  REAL  WORLD 

Lambert  offers  some  advice  on  how  to  obtain  maxi- 
mum efficiency  with  one’s  computer.  “With  the  WORD- 
PAL, the  first  order  of  business  is  to  work  out  in  advance 
a system  of  allocating  your  disks,”  he  says.  “It’s  very 
easy  to  save  everything  and  fill  up  your  disks,  but  if  you 
have  to  go  back  and  search  each  of  the  directories  on  20 
disks,  you  haven’t  really  accomplished  anything. 

The  disks  are  sufficiently  inexpensive  that  if  you’re 
going  to  err,  err  on  the  side  of  having  a few  empty  spots 
to  fill  up.  We  have  assigned  one  disk  for  internal  office 
use,  another  for  numerical  programs,  which  I’m  expand- 
ing rapidly  now  into  one  disk  for  every  major  numerical 
family  of  programs,  one  for  each  major  case  and  one  for 
miscellaneous  cases.” 

The  next  step,  he  believes,  is  to  establish  in  advance  a 
system  of  naming  files,  which  only  have  10  characters. 
Lambert’s  method,  adapted  from  law  library  citations, 
uses  two  numbers  followed  by  a dash,  then  three  letters 
followed  by  a dash,  and  finally  three  more  numbers  or 
letters.  For  example,  32-CAP-1  identifies  the  first  "cap- 
tion” of  case  number  32.  Each  case  has  its  own  case 
number  forthe  file  name  identification. 

The  greatest  asset  of  the  computer,  according  to 
Lambert,  is  “saving  time." 

"It's  hard  to  say  just  how  much  we  have  saved,  but  it 
certainly  has  been  substantial,”  he  says.  “We’re  now  us- 
ing just  one  high  quality  (and  expensive)  regular  part- 
time  secretary  and  a couple  of  others  on  an  overload, 
part-time  basis.” 

In  addition,  the  computer  adds  to  the  quality  of  Lam- 
bert’s law  practice  with  its  ability  to  produce  perfect 
copies,  and  it  helps  him  better  understand  the  pheno- 
mena at  play  in  particular  accidents. 

"Since  much  of  our  work  involves  reconstructing  and 
understanding  the  reconstruction  of  aircraft  flying 
machine  accidents,  including  airplanes,  helicopters  and 
even  hang  gliders,”  he  says,  “if  it  does  nothing  more 
than  help  me  to  better  understand  the  evidence  so  I can 
present  it  better,  then  it’s  done  its  job.” 

Indeed,  Lambert’s  research  into  the  ground  stability 
phenomenon  in  helicopter  accidents  and  other  situa- 
tions may  represent  a significant  contribution  to  the 
aerospace  community  which  can  be  attributed  directly 
to  his  computer.  □ 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  97 


Hard  Copy:  Why  Not  the  Best? 

Go  Daisywheel! 

By  John  MacDougall 


If  you  are  thinking  of  word  processing  either  for  letter 
writing,  for  legal  manuscripts  or  just  for  getting  publish- 
able assembly  listings,  you  are  also  thinking  about 
some  kind  of  quality  printer.  One  of  the  highest  quality 
printers  on  the  market  today  is  the  daisywheel  printer 
made  by  Diablo  and  Qume.  This  printer  mechanism  has 
the  advantages  of  speed  (30  cps),  variety  of  print  fonts, 
variable  line  and  character  spacing,  and  finally,  a mech- 
anism which  is  extremely  simple  and  very  compatible 
with  electronic  interfaces. 

Recently,  these  mechanisms  have  begun  to  appear  on 
the  surplus  market  at  prices  which  are  attractive  to  the 
serious  hobbyist.  There  is  very  little  published  informa- 
tion about  these  printers  although  there  seems  to  be  a 
strong  interest  in  their  use.  Over  the  last  year  and  a half  I 
have  built  a succession  of  daisywheel  interfaces  for  my 
own  use.  This  article  describes  the  latest  of  these.  The 
interface  described  here  is  the  simplest  driver  reason- 
ably possible  for  a word  processing  application.  It  has 
been  in  use  for  several  months  now  and  is  eminently 
suitable  as  a "starter"  system. 

DESCRIPTION  OFTHE  PRINTER  MECHANISM 

The  description  which  follows  applies  directly  to  the 
Diablo  “HYTYPE  I”  daisywheel  printer  mechanism.  This 
is  the  one  I have  and  appears  to  be  the  only  type  on  the 
surplus  market.  Recently,  Diablo  and  Qume  have  both 
introduced  microprocessor  controlled  printers  of  the 
same  general  mechanical  characteristics.  Interfacing 
with  these  is  quite  another  story. 

The  HYTYPE  I has  a few  moving  parts.  The  first  of 
these  is  the  platen.  This  can  be  either  a friction  feed  or 
sprocket  feed  device  and  can  be  controlled  in  ’/«  of  an 
inch  increments  either  up  or  down.  The  platen  is  driven 
by  a gear  coupled  stepping  motor. 

The  second  moving  part  in  the  HYTYPE  I is  the  car- 
riage. The  carriage  is  driven  by  a large  servo  motor 
which  pulls  it  equally  well  in  either  direction  with  a loop 
of  cable.  The  servo  is  a sophisticated  analog/digital 
hybrid,  and  the  carriage  can  be  zipped  the  full  width  of 
the  platen  in  less  than  400  milliseconds.  One  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  this  system  is  apparent  in  “tabbing”  opera- 
tions where  the  carriage  literally  jumps  from  position  to 
position  without  the  slow  jogging  of  the  usual  stepping 
system.  In  these  conditions  the  HYTYPE  I can  be  faster 
than  its  rated  30  characters  per  second. 

The  third  moving  part  in  the  HYTYPE  I is  the  print- 
wheel.  This  is  driven  directly  by  another  small  servo 
motor  and  is  the  only  one  of  the  moving  parts  which  has 
positional  memory.  The  printwheel  mounts  directly  on 
the  servo  motor  shaft  and  can  be  easily  and  quickly  inter- 
changed upon  tilting  the  carriage  mechanism  back. 

There  are  two  other  moving  parts  in  the  mechanism 
both  on  the  carriage.  The  first  is  the  hammer  which  strikes 

“'HYTYPE  I"  is  a registered  trademark  of  Diablo  Systems  Inc. 
Hayward,  California. 


the  print  wheel  “petal"  to  make  the  type  impression,  and 
the  second  is  the  small  stepping  motor  which  pulls  the 
inked  ribbon. 

The  servo  systems  which  drive  the  carriage  and  print- 
wheel  in  the  HYTYPE  I are  very  sophisticated  electronic- 
ally. In  addition,  the  system  is  interlocked  electronically 
so  that,  for  instance,  the  carriage  cannot  move  while  the 
hammer  is  striking  the  printwheel.  A number  of  other 
functions  are  carried  in  the  electronics,  as  we  will  see 
later,  but  the  net  result  of  all  this  is  about  a square  yard 
of  circuit  board  spread  along  the  bottom  of  the  machine 
and  up  the  back.  The  boards  are  stuffed,  for  the  most 
part,  with  standard  TTL  integrated  circuits,  with  a few 
operational  amplifiers  and  FET  switches  thrown  in.  The 
data  input  lines  are  loaded  with  250  ohm  pullup  resis- 
tors and  protected  by  diodes  to  + 5 volts  and  ground. 

. . .the  eleven  bit  machine  is  simpler, 
and  modification  of  the  hardware 
and  software. . .for  the  eleven  bit 
machine  is  an  easy  reduction 
^frorrnh^llustrat^ 

The  servo  drives  for  the  carriage  and  printwheel  derive 
their  high  slewing  rate  from  high  current,  high  voltage 
power  supplies.  In  the  new  HYTYPE  ll’s  the  power  sup- 
ply is  a switcher  and  easily  fits  within  the  frame  of  the 
printer.  In  the  older  machines  on  the  surplus  market,  the 
power  supply  is  a large  conventional  brute  which  weighs 
about  40  pounds  and  is  hard  to  hide.  Fortunately,  the 
power  supply  has  also  appeared  on  the  market  at  a rea- 
sonable price,  or  you  would  be  faced  with  constructing  a 
unit  with  ± 15  volts  at  9 amperes  and  5 volts  at  5 
amperes  capability.  It’s  worth  buying  since  it  also  has 
crowbar  short  circuit  protection  and  is  interlocked  to 
take  all  of  the  supplies  down  if  one  fails  or  is  shorted. 

HYTYPE  I mechanisms  are  available  on  the  surplus 
market  integrated  with  a keyboard  at  about  twice  the 
price  of  the  parts  alone.  If  you  are  not  willing  to  go  to 
some  trouble  in  constructing  interfaces  and  software 
drivers,  you  had  better  stop  reading  and  get  one  of  the 
complete  units.  Just  to  emphasize  a point,  the  extreme 
versatility  of  the  HYTYPE  I has  the  penalty  that  the 
driver  software  must  do  everything.  For  instance,  the 
carriage  movement  is  incrementally  controlled,  and  it  is 
up  to  the  controller  to  remember  the  carriage  position 
so  that  the  correct  data  can  be  applied  for  the  carriage 
return.  Otherwise  the  carriage  will  probably  crash  quite 
happily,  and  at  high  speed,  into  the  end  stops. 

The  basic  unit,  unlike  mechanically  driven  terminals, 
is  entirely  separate  from  the  keyboard  and  only  associ- 
ated with  it  through  the  interface  electronics.  You  thus 
have  the  option  of  making  a complete  unit  or  of  using 
the  HYTYPE  I as  a printer  only  (as  I now  do).  Optionally, 


98  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


if  you  want  to  make  a complete  terminal,  you  can  use 
any  reasonable  keyboard  of  your  own  choosing.  Although 
I don't  use  it,  the  interface  described  in  this  article  has 
the  provision  fora  keyboard  input. 

The  data  connections  for  the  printer  are  shown  in 
Table  I.  The  data  input  is  carried  on  eleven  or  twelve  lines 
depending  on  which  machine  you  bought.  By  far,  the 
most  common  data  bus  is  eleven  bits  wide.  My  machine 
happens  to  be  one  of  the  rare  twelve  bit  machines.  For 
interface  the  eleven  bit  machine  is  simpler,  and  modifi- 
cation of  the  hardware  and  software  in  this  article  for  the 
eleven  bit  machine  is  an  easy  reduction  from  the  illus- 
trated material.  The  table  shows  my  understanding  of  the 
meanings  of  the  various  data  lines  for  the  two  types  of 
data  busses.  If  this  doesn't  seem  to  fit  what  you  have,  then 
you  will  have  to  contact  Diablo  with  specific  details  of  cir- 
cuit board  number  and  revision  for  further  information. 


Table  I.  Data  Connections  for  HYTYPE  I™  Printers 


Connector  Pin 

Signal 

Machine  Character  Print  Data 

Designation 

(All  signals 
active  low) 

11  Bit  Bus 

12  Bit  Bus 

a.  Input  to  Printer 
h 

DATA  1 

0 

0 

i 

DATA  2 

1 

1 

m 

DATA  4 

2 

2 

t 

DATA  8 

3 

3 Character  Code 

k 

DATA  16 

4 

4 

1 

DATA  32 

5 

5 

9 

DATA  64 

6 

6 

d 

DATA  128 

X 

R 

b 

DATA  256 

X 

R Ribbon  Adv.  Code 

V 

DATA  512 

X 

R 

F 

DATA  1024 

X 

H Hammer  Pres.  Code 

L 

DATA  2048 

not  used 

H 

C 

Platen  Strobe 

K 

Carriage  Strobe 

P 

Print  Strobe 

M 

Ribbon  Lift 

E 

Restore 

S 

Select  Printer 

H 

Select  Ready  Lines 

b.  Output  from 
Printer. 

a 

Printer  Ready 

B 

Check 

R 

Paper  Out  (only  works  if  switch  is  added) 

c 

Platen  Ready 

w 

Carriage  Ready 

Y 

Print  Ready 

Z.n 

Not  to  be  used 

Note:  "X"  means 

‘don't  care" 

Data  for  the  carriage  movement  and  the  platen  are  ap- 
plied in  a similar  manner.  The  highest  order  bit  deter- 
mines the  direction  of  movement,  and  the  lower  bits 
determine  the  amount  of  travel.  Notice  that  this  is  not  a 
two’s  complement  or  other  similar  mathematical  num- 
ber. It  is  very  simply  a positive  number  giving  the  dis- 
tance of  travel  and  a bit  which  determines  the  direction 
of  travel.  A “one”  in  the  high  order  bit  means  carriage 
movement  from  right  to  left  or  a platen  movement  in  the 
reverse  direction  to  a normal  feed  line.  The  distance  of 
travel  indicated  by  the  lower  bits  is  a multiple  of  frac- 
tions of  an  inch. 

In  the  twelve  bit  machines  the  fundamental  increment 
is  '/no  of  an  inch  horizontally  and  '/«•  of  an  inch  vertically 
(platen).  In  the  eleven  bit  machines  the  fundamental  in- 


crements are  %o  of  an  inch  for  the  carriage  and  ’/<«  of  an 
inch  for  the  platen.  All  of  the  illustrations  and  examples 
in  this  article  are  for  the  twelve  bit  machines.  For  in- 
stance, if  you  wish  to  move  the  carriage  the  correct  in- 
crement for  12  characters  per  inch,  the  calculation  is 
done  as  follows: 


Number  of  fundamental  Increments 


Number  of  basic  increments  per  inch 
Desired  characters  per  inch 


Thus,  for  12  characters  per  inch  in  a twelve  bit  system 
Data  = 120/12  = lOdecimal  = A hexadecimal  = 

= 0000  0000 1010  binary 

This  is  exactly  the  data  which  would  be  put  on  the  data 
bus.  If  the  movement  were  for  a backspace,  the  reverse 
bit  would  be  set,  and  the  data  would  appear  as  1000  0000 
1010.  Similar  reasoning  applies  forthe  platen  movement. 

The  character  data  is  different.  In  this  case  the  code  for 
the  actual  character  is  put  on  the  data  bus,  and  the  printer 
has  the  necessary  internal  electronics  to  determine  the 
print  wheel  movement  needed  to  find  the  correct  charac- 
ter. In  the  twelve  bit  machines  the  upper  data  bits  also  de- 
termine the  amount  of  hammer  pressure  and  the  amount 
of  ribbon  advance.  I have  incorporated  this  in  my  soft- 
ware. The  upper  bits  of  the  character  data  have  no  mean- 
ing in  the  eleven  bit  machines  and  can  be  ignored. 

Notice  that  in  all  of  this  discussion,  the  same  data 
bus  is  used  no  matter  what  the  function.  The  function 
that  the  data  performs  is  determined  by  the  strobes. 
There  are  three  strobe  lines,  and  only  one  strobe  line 
can  be  strobed  at  a time.  However,  the  machine  will 
remember,  and  it  is  possible  to  strobe  a carriage  move- 
ment, for  instance,  while  a print  is  taking  place. 

Before  a function  can  be  strobed,  however,  the  asso- 
ciated ‘ready’  line  must  be  checked.  There  are  four  ready 
lines;  three  for  each  of  the  main  functions  (platen,  car- 
riage, printwheel),  and  the  fourth  shows  if  any  of  the 
other  three  are  not  ready.  As  soon  as  a ready  line  is 
down,  the  function  can  be  strobed  even  if  another  func- 
tion is  already  taking  place.  The  strobe  must  be  at  least 
two  microseconds  long  which  is  ideal  for  a micro  sys- 
tem since  that  is  about  the  shortest  pulse  it  is  possible 
to  get  out  of  an  output  port.  The  data  must  be  present  on 
the  data  lines  before  the  strobe  is  applied  and  held  until 
after  the  strobe  is  removed.  There  are  three  strobes,  one 
for  each  function. 

In  addition  to  the  data  lines,  the  strobe  lines  and  the 
ready  lines,  there  are  lines  for  selecting  the  printer  and 
selecting  the  ready  lines.  There  is  also  a line  for  paper 
out  condition  (this  requires  some  kind  of  paper  out 
switch  to  be  effective)  and  a check  line.  The  check  line 
is  used  as  a fault  indicator  to  show  that  some  false  con- 
dition has  been  activated.  The  only  signal  which  will  be 
accepted  by  the  printer  after  a check  signal  is  the  ‘re- 
store’ command. 

The  restore  command  is  used  to  reinitiate  the  printer 
mechanism  after  some  kind  of  fault.  The  most  common 
fault  the  beginner  will  encounter  is  a crash  of  the  car- 
riage into  the  end  stops.  I have  brought  the  fault  line  out 
to  a pushbutton  on  the  front  of  the  printer.  When  power 
is  first  applied  to  the  printer,  the  electronics  automati- 
cally initiate  a restore  sequence.  A restore  sequence 
moves  the  carriage  to  the  extreme  left  edge  and  then 
back  about  Vz  inch  to  the  right  of  the  left  end  stop  and 
then  sets  the  printwheel  in  an  initialized  condition  so 
that  the  electronics  know  where  the  print  wheel  is. 
Sensing  of  the  printwheel  ‘park’  position  is  done  by  a 
special  magnetic  pickup  and  a small  metal  slug  on  the 
position  transducer. 

There  are  two  position  transducers:  one  on  the  back 
of  the  carriage  servo  motor  and  one  on  the  back  of  the 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  99 


printwheel  servo  motor.  These  are  closely  coupled  high 
frequency  sensors.  Adjustment  of  the  position  trans- 
ducers calls  for  specialized  knowledge  and  equipment. 

One  final  input  is  the  'ribbon  lift’.  In  the  original  ver- 
sion of  the  HYTYPE  I this  was  intended  for  use  with  two- 
color  ribbons.  However,  the  way  the  ribbon  is  mounted 
in  front  of  the  printwheel,  it  is  impossible  to  see  the 
most  recently  typed  data.  In  my  system  I use  the  ribbon 
lift  command  to  position  the  ribbon  in  front  of  the  type 
wheel  just  before  a print  is  to  occur.  After  a spell  of  typ- 
ing, there  is  a pause  before  the  ribbon  drops  down  to 
reveal  the  text.  This  pause,  which  is  controlled  by  a re- 
triggerable  monostable,  prevents  the  ribbon  from  con- 
tinually popping  up  and  down  in  a most  annoying  man- 
ner. There  is  nothing  unique  about  this  scheme,  and  it  is 
used  in  several  other  common  terminals  and  in  some  of 
the  recent  HYTYPE  II  terminals.  Of  course,  for  this  to  be 
effective  you  will  only  be  able  to  use  one-color  ribbons. 

To  summarize  the  data  requirements  of  the  HYTYPE  I: 
there  are  11  or  12  data  lines,  three  strobes  and  a ribbon 
lift  going  to  the  printer  from  the  computer,  and  four 
ready  lines  going  from  the  printer  to  the  computer.  Thus, 
dedicated  to  the  needs  of  the  printer  are  two  full  output 
ports  and  one  half  of  an  input  port.  The  other  lines  are 
not  necessary  for  computer  control  and  therefore  don’t 
require  data  ports.  If  your  system  has  parallel  ports 
already  available,  you  don't  need  a special  interface  card 
and  can  skip  the  next  section  for  the  time  being. 

A photograph  of  the  printer  is  shown  in  Photo  1.  Note 
the  home-built  paper  roll  holder.  The  ribbon  comes  in  a 
cassette  form,  and  different  colors  as  well  as  carbon  rib- 
bons are  available.  A spare  daisywheel  can  be  seen  in 
front  of  the  printer  beside  the  interface  board. 


PHOTO  1 Photograph  of  the  HYTYPE  I showing  the  In- 
terface Board  and  a spare  Daisywheel  in  front.  Note  the 
additin  fo  the  rack  for  holding  rolls  of  paper.  The  flat 
cable  for  Interconnection  to  the  driver  electronics  is 
shown  at  the  right. 

HARDWARE  INTERFACE 

As  I said  before,  if  you  have  a couple  of  good  drive 
capability  output  ports  available,  you  can  skip  the  hard- 
ware discussion  altogether.  I chose  to  build  an  interface 
card  for  a number  of  reasons,  the  chief  one  of  which  was 
that  I didn’t  have  any  parallel  ports  to  spare.  Besides, 
with  the  use  of  a wire  wrap  tool,  some  sockets  and  a 
Vector  S-100  board,  it's  kind  of  relaxing  and  a change 
from  the  daily  drag  to  immerse  oneself  in  mundane  wir- 
ing problems.  Another  reason  for  using  the  interface 
board  was  that  I wanted  to  incorporate  a small  separate 
dedicated  RAM  area  for  later  use  as  buffer  storage.  As  it 
turned  out,  I don’t  use  this  buffer  as  such  but  it  has  sure 
come  in  handy  for  storing  small  programs  such  as  mem- 
ory test  routines  when  I want  to  preserve  my  main  mem- 
ory completely  free. 


A final  reason  for  using  the  dedicated  interface  was 
that  I wanted  to  use  a code  conversion  PROM  between 
the  data  input  and  the  printer.  This  allowed  me  complete 
freedom  in  the  use  of  keyboard  and  input  data  and  the 
printwheel  characters. 

A summary  of  the  input  data  required  to  drive  the 
printer  was  given  in  Table  I along  with  a summary  of  the 
printer  output  data.  All  of  the  printer  input  data  lines 
have  250  ohm  pullup  resistors,  so  you  must  provide 
driver  devices  with  good  current  capability.  Open  collec- 
tor or  tri-state  devices  are  equally  effective. 

The  complete  circuit  diagrams  for  the  interface  cards 
are  shown  in  Figures  1 and  2.  The  card  is  functionally 
divided  into  five  areas.  These  are: 

1.  Address  and  Port  decoding  logic 

2.  RAM  and  associated  buffers 

3.  Printer  driver  hardware  and  computer  output  ports 

4.  Computer  input  ports  and  data  multiplexing  circuitry 

5.  The  ribbon  lift  circuit 

The  port  selection  logic  and  the  RAM  address  de- 
coding logic  share  some  common  parts,  and  both  may 
be  relocated  together  by  means  of  the  DIP  switch  to  any 
4K  boundary.  Location  addresses  and  switch  positions 
are  given  in  Table  II.  In  my  system  the  RAM  resides  at 
A000,  and  consequently,  the  printer  output  ports  AO  and 
A1 . Note  the  port  assignments  on  the  circuit  diagram. 

Since  my  system  is  getting  pretty  full,  I am  now  put- 
ting buffers  on  all  S-100  bus  card  inputs.  The  address  in- 
put buffers  are  74LS367  operated  in  the  non-tristate 
mode.  The  buffers  on  address  inputs  A9  and  A8  are  also 
used  to  drive  the  lower  data  bits  of  the  port  address 
decoding.  The  RAM  devices  are  2102,  and  chip  select  is 


Table  II.  Eight  Position  DIP  Switch  Coding 

a.  Address  Selection:  (“0”  = “on”) 

Switch  Number 

RAM  Starting  Address 

I/O  Port  Numbers 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0000 

00,01 

0 

0 

0 

1 

1000 

10,11 

0 

0 

1 

0 

2000 

20,21 

0 

0 

1 

1 

3000 

30,31 

0 

i 

0 

0 

4000 

40,41 

0 

1 

0 

1 

5000 

50,51 

0 

i 

1 

0 

6000 

60,61 

0 

1 

1 

1 

7000 

70,71 

1 

0 

0 

0 

8000 

80,81 

1 

0 

0 

1 

9000 

90,91 

1 

0 

1 

0 

A000 

A0.A1 

1 

0 

1 

1 

B000 

B0.B1 

1 

i 

0 

0 

cooo 

CO, Cl 

1 

i 

0 

1 

D000 

DO,  D1 

1 

i 

1 

0 

E000 

E0.E1 

1 

i 

1 

1 

F000 

F0.F1 

I b.  Hammer  Intensity  Selection: 

Switch  Number 

Relative  Pressure 

6 

s 

Intensity 

0 

0 

1 

0 

i 

2 

1 

0 

3 

1 

i 

4 

c.  Spacing  Selection: 

Switch  Number 

Character  Spacing 

Line  Spacing 

8 

7 

Characters/Inch 

Lines/Inch 

0 

0 

10 

3 

0 

1 

10 

6 

1 

0 

12 

3 

1 

1 

12 

6 

100  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  101 


022 

c$r. 


THESE  LINES  ARE 
FOR  KEYBOARD  INPUT. 
WITH  AN  ASCII 
KEYBOARD  USE  THE 
BOTTOM  SEVEN  FOR 
OATA  AND  THE  EIGHTH 
FOR  “DATA  READY" 


FROM  2102  RAM  DOUTPINS  Figure  2.  Schematic  of  the  remainder  ot  the  interface 
Card  showing  the  I/O  ports,  the  Data  Buffers  and  the 
MUX  Circuitry. 


102  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


sran«  I""1  VECTOR  MZ 

at  Super  Discount  Prices! 


A standard  MZ  microcomputer,  discount  priced  at  $2695,  includes  these  fine  features:  Z80  micro- 
processor. single  floppy  disk  drive  with  31 5K  bytes  of  storage,  32K  memory,  one  serial  port,  two 

parallel  ports,  disk  controller,  12K  PROM/RAM  with  monitor,  Extended  Disk  BASIC  and  room  for 
18  S-100  boards.  To  expand  your  disk  storage  to  630K  bytes,  add  another  disk  drive  for  $680. 

Introductory  Offer 

While  supply  lasts. 

SAVE  up  to  S3  75  on  your  MZ  System 
and  receive  FREE  a BASIC  program- 
ming  manual  and  a box  of  diskettes. 

To  complete  your  system... 


Add  a Centronics  779  and  add 
•SI 075.  SAVE  SI 00.00. 


Add  a SOROC  Terminal  and 
add  S939.  SAVE  S56.00. 


Add  a Hazeltine  1500  and  add 
SI  146.  SAVE  S79.00. 


Your  total  savings  on  a complete  MZ  Microsystem 
can  add  up  to  as  much  as  $554.00! 

All  prices  include  full  system  integration,  completely  assembled  with  90-day  written  warranty. 

Sunshine  Computer  Company 

20710  South  Leapwood  Ave.  • Carson,  California  90746  • (213)327-2118 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  91 


INTERFACE  AGE  103 


Intercolor  8070  Series  1 


,n  a'  the  99  . 


Small  Business  System 

from  Intelligent  Systems  Corp.® 


The  complete  system,  only  - $6,999"  retail 


8-Color  Display  Screen 

6 Months  Standard  Warranty 

■ 19"  Color  Display  w/keyboard  ■ 110  CPS  bi-directional  printer 

■ 8080A  Central  Processor  ■ Business  BASIC 

■ 16K  Ram  Memory  (Expandable)  ■ Payroll  programs  for  up  to  500  employees 

■ 15K  ROM  Memory  ■ Manuals  - 6 Months  Warranty 

■ Dual  8"  floppy  disk  drives  (591 K bytes) 

OEM's  and  Dealers 

Phone  Toll  Free  for  your  Special  Prices 

1-800-633-7566 

In  Alabama,  Phone  205/793-1522 

Digital  Marketing 

P.  O.  Drawer  159  ■ Dothan,  Alabama  36302 
"The  Intercolor  Distributors" 


104  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  82 


OCTOBER  1978 


derived  from  the  high  order  address  bits  and  the  pro- 
cessor SINP  and  SOUT  lines.  The  RAM  output  data  is 
multiplexed  into  the  computer  input  data  bus,  as  will  be 
described  later. 

The  necessary  16  bits  of  output  required  to  drive  the 
printer  is  generated  through  two  8212  output  port 
devices.  These  have  sufficient  capability  to  drive  the  250 
ohm  pullup  resistors  if  necessary.  In  my  system  I have  a 
code  conversion  PROM  in  the  lower  eight  bits  of  the  12 
bit  data  bus.  This  PROM  is  enabled  by  the  ribbon  lift 
signal  and  held  on  during  the  printing  of  a character.  For 
all  other  outputs  to  the  data  bus,  the  PROM  is  bypassed 
by  the  74LS367  tri-state  buffers,  and  the  lower  eight  bits 
appear  on  the  data  bus  exactly  as  sent.  If  you  don’t  want 
to  do  any  code  conversion,  this  bit  of  circuitry  can  be  eli- 
minated, or  you  can  do  any  necessary  conversion  in  the 
software.  Incidentally,  this  conversion  scheme  is  very 
handy  for  converting  what-have-you  to  ASCII  and  vice 
versa.  The  93448  PROM  has  room  for  two  complete  sets 
of  code. 

The  computer  input  must  be  serviced  from  three 
sources  on  the  card.  These  are  the  RAM  output,  the  key- 
board output  and  the  status  byte. 

The  keyboard  output  is  combined  with  the  RAM  out- 
put on  the  same  data  lines  by  means  of  their  respective 
tri-state  outputs.  This  common  data  bus  is  one  set  of  in- 
puts to  the  74LS157  multiplexers.  The  other  set  of  in- 
puts comes  from  two  sources.  The  upper  four  bits  come 
from  the  remaining  four  switches  on  the  8-bit  address 
decoding  DIP  switch.  These  four  switches  are  used.to 
set  the  character  spacing,  the  line  spacing  and  the 
character  impression  intensity,  as  will  be  described 
later.  The  lower  four  bits  are  provided  by  the  four 
“ready”  lines  from  the  printer.  These  can  thus  be  inter- 
rogated by  the  software.  Selection  of  the  computer  data 
sources  to  be  put  on  the  S-100  bus  is  determined  by  the 
address  decoding  logic. 

The  final  block  on  the  circuit  card  is  the  ribbon  lift  cir- 
cuit. This  circuit  uses  a retriggerable  one  shot  multi- 
vibrator, the  9601,  to  provide  a pulse  which  holds  the  rib- 
bon up  between  the  print  wheel  and  the  platen  for  a fixed 
period  of  time.  Each  time  a character  is  typed,  the  ribbon 
hold  period  is  reinitiated  so  that  during  rapid  typing  of 
extended  passages,  the  ribbon  never  drops.  The  emitter 
follower  is  used  for  time  extension  with  the  RC  combina- 
tion shown.  If  you  think  the  ribbon  lift  time  is  unsatisfac- 
tory, this  can  be  changed  by  changing  the  value  of  C.  I 
experimented  with  several  times  and  found  those  shown 
to  be  best  for  me. 

All  the  circuitry  shown  in  the  figure  is  contained  easily 
on  one  Vector  S-100  circuit  card.  I used  two  regulators, 
one  for  the  RAM  and  the  PROM  and  the  other  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  circuitry.  Since  all  of  the  IC’s  shown  are 
five  volt  devices,  only  two  7805  regulators  are  required. 

A photograph  of  the  completed  board  is  given  in  Photo  2. 
Note  the  space  at  the  top  of  the  board  for  an  additional 
IK  of  RAM  and  the  space  in  the  lower  left  corner  for  addi- 
tional keyboard  or  I/O  circuitry.  A socket  is  also  provided 
for  a keyboard  PROM,  if  required. 

THE  SOFTWARE 

Now  that  you  have  the  mechanical  aspects  of  driving 
the  HYTYPE I well  in  hand,  the  next  step  is  the  software. 
A complete  listing  of  the  software  which  I now  use  is 
given  at  the  end  of  the  article.  This  listing  is  for  the 
simplest  driver  reasonably  possible  for  the  printer.  If 
you  want  to  do  fancy  things  like  changing  the  spacing 
dynamically,  a more  complicated  program  is  necessary. 

I found  that  for  the  things  which  I do  at  the  moment,  the 
extra  complications  of  the  expanded  software  were  not 
warranted. 


MICRO  AGE 

WHOLESALE 

OEM'S  are  picking  up  on  the  advantages  of  calling 
MicroAge  Wholesale.  In  fact,  they  consider  us  an 
OEM  supermarket  for  a wide  selection  of  terminals, 
printers,  mainframes  and  software.  Price  and 
delivery  are  two  more  big  reasons.  Call  us  and  see 
for  yourself.  We  make  it  easy. 


AWCWoflnF 


WHOLESALE 

1425  W.  12th  PI. 
Tempe,  Ariz.  85281 
1-602-967-1421 
(information  line) 

1-800-528-1415 
Toll-Free  Order  Line 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  N0.8S 


MEMORY  EXPANSION 

kit  for 

TRS-60  COMPUTER 


Now  you  con  expond  your  4K  TRS-80 
computer  to  16K.  For  only  $129  you  will 
receive  oil  necessary  chips,  jumper  blocks 
ond  complete  easy  to  follow  instructions.  All 
chips  ore  fully  tested  ond  guaranteed  for 
one  year. 


TRS-eO  MEMORY 
EXPANSION  KIT 


(129 


Pleose  odd  $2.00  for  shipping  ond  insurance. 
Californio  residents  odd  6%  Soles  Tox.  D of  A.  Visa, 
ond  Masterchorge  accepted  Allow  2 weeks  for 
personal  checks  to  deor.  NO  COD.  Order  from-. 


visit  our  store  at: 

Computer  Components  Inc. 

of  Orange  County 

6791  Westminster  Ave. 
Westminster.  CA  92683 
Phone  orders  accepted  (7 14)  696-6330 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  76 


INTERFACE  AGE  105 


PHOTO  2 Photograph  of  the  complete  Interface  Board. 
Two  ribbon  connectors  are  used  to  connect  the  board  to 
an  adapter  plug  which  fits  the  ribbon  cable  from  the 
printer.  The  keyboard  would  also  enter  here,  if  used. 

The  flow  chart  which  describes  the  philosophy  of  the 
program  is  given  in  Figure  3.  On  entering  the  driver  with 
something  to  be  done,  the  first  thing  the  program  does 
is  save  all  of  the  system  registers,  initialize  the  strobes 
and  finally  look  at  the  setup  switches  to  determine  what 
character  and  line  spacings  are  to  be  used.  The  switch 
status  is  saved  in  register  B for  later  use.  All  input  to  the 
printer  driver  is  assumed  to  be  ASCII,  so  the  parity  bit  is 
stripped  before  proceeding. 

The  program  is  arranged  so  that  the  most  common 
functions  are  tried  first.  Obviously  the  largest  usage  of 
the  printer  is  for  typing  characters,  so  the  program  first 
looks  for  a printable  ASCII  character.  How  a character  is 
printed  is  described  later  on.  If  a printable  character  is 
not  found,  the  program  next  looks  to  see  if  the  input  was 
one  of  the  functions:  SPACE,  BACKSPACE,  CARRIAGE 
RETURN,  CRLF,  LINEFEED,  REVERSE  LINEFEED,  or 
SET  LEFT  MARGIN.  If  none  of  these  are  found,  the  de- 
fault is  a simple  return  without  any  action.  Before  re- 
turning from  the  driver,  the  last  thing  to  be  done  is  to 
recover  all  of  the  registers  which  were  saved  on  entry. 
For  this  simple  program,  the  functions  are  embedded  in 
the  program  rather  than  contained  in  a lookup  table. 
Thus,  the  program  jumps  from  routine  to  routine  looking 
for  a match. 

As  an  illustration  of  how  the  printer  is  strobed,  we  will 
use  the  routine'PRNAS  which  prints  an  ASCII  character. 
This  routine  is  flowcharted  in  Figure  4.  In  the  12  bit 
printer  the  hammer  impression  can  be  controlled  by  the 
software.  In  my  implementation  there  is  a limited  cap- 
ability to  do  this  as  controlled  by  the  DIP  switch  whose 
position  was  stored  in  register  B on  entry.  Bits  B4  and 
B5  control  the  impression  density,  but  these  should  be 
bits  Dll  and  D12  of  the  printer  data  bus,  and  this  would 
mean  that  they  should  be  in  bits  B2  and  B3  of  the  data 
going  to  port  A1.  This  gets  all  sorted  out  by  shifting  the 
data  twice  to  the  right  and  then  masking  it  with  OCH  to 
eliminate  the  extraneous  material. 

With  the  impression  bits  set,  we  have  hardly  started. 
The  next  action  is  to  set  the  strobes  for  all  the  outputs 
to  "off”  before  sending  the  data  to  port  A1  (remember 
this  port  does  the  strobing  as  well  as  set  the  upper  four 
data  lines).  Thus  our  busy  data  byte  now  gets  FOH  add- 
ed in.  The  upper  3 bits  set  the  strobes  to  “off”  while  the 
next  bit  is  used  to  trigger  the  ribbon  lift  and  also,  in  my 
system,  to  turn  on  the  PROM  tri-state  outputs  (and  turn 
off  the  PROM  bypass  drivers).  The  data  byte  to  port  A1 
now  looks  like  1111  SSOO  where  ‘S’  indicates  switch  im- 
pression control  data.  Now  the  data  (ASCII)  byte  can  be 
put  on  the  data  lines  by  sending  it  through  port  AO.  All  of 
the  setup  is  now  complete,  and  the  actual  print  can  fin- 
ally be  performed. 

The  strobing  of  any  function  takes  place  in  two  steps. 
First,  the  function  ready  line  is  sampled  to  determine  if 

OCTOBER  1978 


cookbook 


COMPUTER  COMPONENTS  INC. 

5848  Sepulveda  Blvd.,  Van  Nuys,  CA  9141 1 
(213)786-7411 

4705  Artesia  Blvd.,  Lawndale,  CA  90260 
(213)  370-4842 

6791  Westminister  Ave.,  Westminister , CA  92683 
(714)  898-8330 

3808  Verdugo  Ave.,  Burbank,  CA  91505 
(Watch  for  grand  opening) 

CLOSED  SUNDAYS  AND  MONDAYS 


ALL  BOOKS  10%  OFF 
TAB  BOOKS  20%  OFF 

PRICES  IN  EFFECT  THRU  OCT.  30 


VACATION  BOOK  SALE 


WE  STOCK  A COMPLETE  LINE  OF  BOOKS 


IMS 

MEMORY  MADNESS 


$24.95 
$39.95 
$ 9.95 
$49.95 
$19.95 
$ 8.95 
$ 7.50 
$ 7.50 
$ 9.95 
$ 8.50 
$ 5.95 
$ 8.95 
$ 6.95 
$ 9.95 
$ 9.50 
$ 1.95 
$ 7.50 
$ 7.50 
$ 7.50 
$ 8.95 
S 9.95 
$ 9.95 
$ 7.95 


S 7.50 
SI  5.00 
$ 7.50 
$ 7.50 
S 7.50 
S 7.50 
$12.50 
$10.50 
$ 8 50 


S 8.50 
$15.00 
S 9.50 
S 6.95 
S 8.50 


Basic  Software  Library— Vol.  I & II 
Basic  Software  Library— Vol.  Ill  & VII 
Basic  Software  Library— Vol.  IV  & V 
Basic  Software  Library— Vol.  VI  .... 
Basic  Software  Library— Vol.  VIII  . . . 

Creative  Computing— Vol.  I & II  

Instant  Basic 


101  Basic  Games 

8080  Bug  Book 

Sam  Z-80  Program  .... 
Cheap  Video  Cook  Book 
Basic  Basic 


Advanced  Basic 

I.C.  Timer 

TTL  Cook  Book 


Your  Own  Computer 

Z-80  Assembly  Language 
Z-80ZPU  Technical  Manual 
Z-80  Program  Logic  Design 
First  Book  of  Kim 


How  to  Program  Micro  Computer 


BUG  BOOKS 

Bug  Book  Vol.  I & II  & IV  & VII 

Bug  Book  Vol.  Ill  

Bug  Book  Vol.  V & VI 

The  555  Timer  Applications . 
The  Design  of  Active  Filters  . 


INDUSTRIAL 
MICRO  SYSTEMS 


8K  STATIC 


GUARANTEED  TO  RUN  AT  4 Mhz 

$159.95 

"WORLDS  FINEST  8K  MEMORY  MODULE" 


WE  ARE  A FULL  LINE  IMS 
DISTRIBUTOR 


BANK  OF  AMERICA  AND  MASTERCHARGE 
WELCOME.  TERMS:  MIN  ORDER  $10.00  ADD  $2.00 
POSTAGE  AND  HANDLING  IF  ORDER  IS  UNDER 
$25.00  AND  SENT  U.P.S.  ADD  S4.00  POSTAGE 
AND  HANDLING  IF  SENT  VIA  U.S.  MAIL. 


SYBEX  Microprocessor 

SYBEX  Micro  Interfacing  Techniques  

How  to  Build  a Computer  Controlled  Robot 


OSBORNE 

Intro  to  Micro— Vol.  0&  I 

IntrotoMicro— Vol.  II  

8080  Programming 

6800  Programming 

Z-80  Programming  

Some  Common  Basic  Programs 
Payroll  with  Cost  Accounting  . 
C-MOS  Cook  Book 


ALSO 


16K  250ns  REG.  $555  NOW  $469 

16K  450ns  REG.  $525  NOW  $429 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  75 


INTERFACE  AGE  107 


108  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


Figure  4.  Flowchart  for  PRNAS  — 
the  Routine  for  Printing 
an  ASCII  Character. 


23  ways  to 
help  assure 
your 

company's 

future. 


Our  country  and  your  company  de 
pend  on  new  ideas  College  trained 
minds  produce  new  ideas  And  col- 
leges need  your  help  Writeonyour 
company  letterhead  to  CFAE  tor  23 
ways  companies  can  aid  colleges 
We  can  t afford  to  run  out  of  ideas. 

Make  America  smarter. 
Give  to  the  college 
of  your  choice. 

Council  to*  Financial  Aid  to  Education  Inc  f .I1 
680  Fifth  Avenue  New  York  NY  10019  A|? 

A Public  Service  of  This  Magazine  MIN 
& The  Advertising  Council  I 


SAVE  up  to  $1300 

on  the  Ultimate  Computer... 
a complete  Cromemco  SYSTEM  THREE! 


Use  the  SYSTEM  THREE  for  business  and  accounting, 
word  processing,  data-base  management,  science  and  engineer- 
ing, legal  and  medical,  and  for  classroom  applications. 


Your  complete  SYSTEM 

THREE  includes:  the  Z80 

microcomputer,  PerSci  dual 
disk  drives,  standard  32K  of 
memory,  and  standard  serial 
and  parallel  interfacing. 

Included  is  the  CRT  terminal 
which  displays  highly  legible 
characters  at  80  characters  per 
line  and  a 24-line  page  in  up- 
per and  lower  case.  Text  edit- 
ing and  a separate  numeric 
keypad  with  cursor  position- 
ing are  standard. 


The  high  speed  line  printer, 
also  standard  with  the  SYS- 
TEM THREE,  features  180  FREE  SOFTWARE 

characters  per  second,  132  col-  You  can  select  either  BASIC, 
umn  width,  and  tractor  feed  FORTRAN  or  an  Assembler, 
with  adjustable  forms  sizes.  free  with  your  SYSTEM 

THREE. 

The  entire  system  is  factory  assembled  and  tested.  A typi- 
cal system  can  be  leased  for  as  little  as  $280  per  month. 

CALL  NOW  to  find  out  how  much  you  can  save  on  your 
SYSTEM  THREE,  or  write  for  our  free  information  packet. 


EXPAND  YOUR  SYSTEM 
THREE  CAPACITY 

Add  another  dual  disk  drive 
for  1,024,000  bytes. 

Increase  your  memory  capac- 
ity to  512,000  bytes. 

Turn  your  computer  into  a 
time-share  system  with  up  to 
seven  additional  terminals. 

APPLICATIONS  PROGRAMS 

Word  processing  and  business 
applications,  including  ac- 
counts receivable,  inventory, 
general  ledger  and  several 
others,  are  immediately  avail- 
able for  the  SYSTEM  THREE. 


Best  Pricing  Best  Delivery 

Sunshine  Computer  Company 

20710  South  LeapwoodAve.  • Carson.  California  90746  • (213)327-2118 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  92 


INTERFACE  AGE  109 


Buying  a computer  is  serious  business.  All  Our  staff  can  help  you  evaluate  and  configure 

computer  courses,  seminars,  lectures,  etc,  stress  systems  that  will  solve  your  immediate  problems 

one  important  point;  know  your  needs  and  know  and  still  allow  for  future  expansion.  In  our  show- 
your  suppliers,  be  sure  you  can  rely  on  them.  Khalsa  room  we  provide  separate  booths  for  each  computer 
Computer  Systems  is  a retail  computer  dealership  system,  plus  reference  books,  periodicals,  a class- 
that  stresses  honesty  and  integrity,  not  only  as  a way  room,  lounge  and  an  office  oriented  demonstration 
to  do  business,  but  as  a way  of  life.  Wearing  white  area.  Our  software  group  consists  of  experienced 
is  the  reflection  of  that  committment.  systems  analysts  and  programmers  who  know  how 

We  select  and  stock  what  we  believe  to  be  the  to  solve  your  data  processing  problems.  Our  full 
finest  low  cost  computer  systems  for  home  and  time  service  department  and  field  service  offers 
business.  From  the  Apple  II  with  colorgraphics  at  advanced  and  efficient  service  and  parts  to  back  up 
under  $1,000  to  the  AM- 100,  the  best  data  what  we  say  and  sell. 

processing  system  available  under  $10,000.  We  It’s  worth  the  drive  to  Pasadena  to  see  us.  You 

also  supply  DEC  equipment  from  $15,000  to  can  rely  on  us  to  serve  you  now  and  in  the  future, 

$100,000  for  the  ultimate  in  mini  computer  power,  we’re  committed  to  it,  it’s  our  way  of  life. 

The  people  in  white;  we’re  the  ones  you  can  count  on. 


®®®EXD®e 


Open  12  to  8,  Tuesday  to  Friday 

1 2 to  6,  Saturday  computer  systems  incorporated 

Closed  Sunday  and  Monday  500  Lake  Avenue,  Pasadena,  California  91 101  (213)  684-331 1 

Khalsa  Computer  Systems,  Inc.  has  also  been  known  as  the  Byte  Shop  of  Pasadena  since  we  opened  in  1976. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  84 


110  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


the  function  is  busy.  When  the  ready  line  goes  low,  the 
function  can  be  strobed.  Referring  to  the  hardware  draw- 
ings, we  see  that  the  ready  line  for  a character  print  is 
bit  0 from  port  AO.  This  is  checked  in  a loop  until  it  goes 
low,  and  then  the  strobe  data  byte  is  recovered  from 
register  D where  it  had  been  previously  saved.  The  strobe 
is  set  by  'ANDing’  with  DE(HEX)  so  that  the  data  now 
looks  like  1101  SSOO.This  is  sent  to  port  A1  to  do  the  ac- 
tual strobe.  Of  course,  the  strobe  pulse  must  now  be 
removed,  and  this  is  done  by  replacing  the  missing  bit 
by  ORing  with  20(HEX)  and  sending  the  byte  to  port  A1 
once  again.  Finally,  the  ribbon  lift  pulse  is  removed  and 
the  program  jumps  to  the  next  step  in  which  the  carriage 
is  advanced  one  space. 

The  routine  which  moves  the  carriage  one  space  is 
called  SPC1,  (see  Figure  5),  and  it  contains  two  other 
routines  which  really  do  all  of  the  work;  SPCVAL  deter- 
mines the  correct  increment  to  move  the  carriage  based 
on  the  switch  input  data,  and  CARMOV  is  a general  pro- 
gram for  moving  the  carriage  an  amount  determined  by 
the  contents  of  register  DE.  As  a final  example  of  how 
the  printer  is  controlled,  we  will  now  examine  CARMOV. 

Moving  the  carriage  in  the  routine  CARMOV  involves 
the  operation  of  putting  the  data  on  the  lines  and  strob- 
ing, as  is  done  with  the  print  operation,  and  also  keeping 
track  of  the  absolute  position  of  the  carriage.  Remem- 
ber, in  the  mechanical  description  we  noted  that  car- 
riage movement  is  purely  incremental  and  that  extrane- 
ous means  must  be  provided  to  keep  track  of  the  car- 
riage position. 

On  enter  CARMOV  (Figure  6)  the  routine  first  stores 
the  contents  of  register  DE.  This  register  has  the  incre- 
ment data  for  the  carriage  movement.  First  the  lower 
byte  is  complemented  and  sent  directly  to  the  printer  via 
port  AO,  then  the  operations  of  masking  and  setting  up 
the  strobe  bits  are  performed  on  the  high  byte.  Here,  the 
lower  nibble  contains  carriage  movement  information 
(lower  3 bits  in  the  case  of  the  11  bit  machines).  This  is 
masked  and  the  strobes-off  information  is  added  by  OR- 
ing with  E0.  The  byte  is  then  sent  to  port  A1  and  tempor- 
arily saved  in  register  C.  The  status  byte  is  obtained 
from  port  AO  and  examined  in  the  loop  until  bit  1 
becomes  low.  At  this  time  the  carriage  strobe  is  in- 
serted by  ANDing  with  AF  and  the  byte  again  sent  to  A1. 
The  strobe  is  then  removed  as  before. 

Since  the  reverse  direction  is  set  by  a bit  in  the  high- 
est data  position  and  not  by  the  type  of  number,  it  is 
necessary  to  check  the  highest  data  bit  to  see  if  the  car- 
riage movement  data  should  be  added  or  subtracted  to 
the  data  contained  in  the  absolute  position  register. 
After  testing,  the  appropriate  arithmetic  function  is  per- 
formed and  the  new  position  data  stored  before  the  rou- 
tine returns  back  to  the  main  program. 

There  is  one  final  piece  of  software  which  is  needed 
for  smooth  operation  of  your  printer.  This  is  necessary 
because  on  turning  on  your  system,  it  is  possible  for  the 
strobe  outputs  to  come  up  in  any  arrangement  and  for 
random  data  to  be  present  in  the  carriage  position  stor- 
age location.  In  my  system  I have  an  initialization  proce- 
dure which  the  system  goes  through  when  coming  up 
from  a cold  start.  I have  added  to  this  a small  routine  for 
setting  up  the  printer  parameters.  A listing  of  this  rou- 
tine is  shown  in  Program  1. 


PROGRAM  1 


.RADIX  16 

.1ITLE  ’Monitor  Initialization  Routine' 


;Thia  routine  is  inserted  in  the  Monitor 
initialization  subroutine  for  the  purpose 
;of  correctly  initializing  the  data  ports 


{feeding 

; the 

; mechanise 

0000’  3E£0 

DINIT: 

MV  I 

0002’  D3A1 

OUT 

0004’  21  0000 

LX1 

0007  * 22  A3FC 

.END 

SHLD 

DIABLO  HYTxrE  I printer 

A,0E0  ;DATA  FOR  SETTING 

0A i ; SI  ROBES  TO  OFF 

H.0000  ; ZERO  THE  CARRIAGE 

0A3FC  ; POSITION  STORE 


G 

0 

c 

(6 

Q 


H 

u 

x 

S 

< 

E 

UJ 

3 

(- 

z 

0 

ui 

z 

o 

>■ 

_J 

z 

5 

UJ 

X 


< 

Q 

Q 

Z3 

$ 


3 

CL 

H 

D 

O 

-J 

UJ 

3 

< 

OC 

< 

CL. 


Ul  “ 


X 

u 


= < 


1 

in 

H 

X 

E 

H 

= -j 
O w 

(D  > 

o-j 

2 -i 

3 X 
£ UJ 

= m 
in 

*7  — 


Ul 

H 

2 -j 

r uj 

23 

to 

H Z 
CD  < 
00  UJ 

x CL 

£o 
u.  z 

3 > 
00 


UJ 

O 

z 

UJ 

CL. 

UJ 

Q 

z 


oc 

< 

o 

CL. 

CL 

O 

o 

H 

z 

u 

x 

x 

3 

u 

a 

ill 


x 

u: 

X 

5 

O 

UJ 

X 


O 

is 

$1 


3 ° 
5 < 

10  2s> 

Si£9 


> 

J 


UJ 

E 


CL  □ _ 

io; 
*3  = 


o 

£ 

Ou 

t-  cm 
3? 00 

O CM 
CM  UJ 


X 

0 

P 

z 

1 

S 

UJ 

U 

< 

J 

CL 

UJ 

X 

w 

w 

X 

if) 

< 

UJ  £ 

x 5 
oc  > 

UJ  -J 

R z 

2° 
x w 
Sr 

s < 

1 o 

«BS 

< CL 
l/>  CL 
H X UJ 

uj  “j  < 
a So  u 

KhUJ 

> u 3 

UJ  UJ  2 

x -j  3 

■ ■ w si 

• <f>  k 
uj  oc  uj 
CL  UJ  Cl 
UJ  (A  CL 
OC  3 3 


Q 

3 

< 

co 

> 

Z 

< 

o 

H 

X 

UJ 

V) 

3 

> 

00 

a 

UJ 

H 

t/5 

3 

"z 

a 

< 

> 

3! 

< 

UJ 


CO  3 

a < 

3 CO 

< o 
00  <= 

2* 

- o 

I-  H 

< O 


> 

H 

Z 


OC 

UJ 

u 

z 

3 

UJ 

1/5 

< 

m 

UJ 

H 

< 

Z 


“ O 
> o 
UJ  o 
X X « 
a:  O ** 

2 uj  < 


3"  r £ 

x ->  3 in 

x “• 

zJO* 

-Ouj 
£0C  ^-O 
0>  u!  -J 
z uj  in  d 
~X>< 

< CM  UJ  5 

§33® 

92  £* 

*if)  T Q > 

M 7 Z UJ  UJ 

to  is  < m oc 

-{2  -ix-ti-Cx-Cz 


Ul 

<«£ 
>-  O 
oc  oc 
O 

uj 

u b 
22 


zz 

i!| 

«5  uj  O 

o-“ 
^ P _i  in 

> 2 z < 
ot“-U 

Z os  2 1 w 

CL  2 < u" 


“ O 2 Ll 

UJ  X 3 O 
JQQb 
2 z 2 CL 

2 5 CL  3 

juitO 

1L  JN>J 


Q 

u 

H 

f) 

u 

H 

Q 

Z 

< 

Q 

u 

mi 

CO 

s 

u 

if) 

if) 

< 


o 

c 

w 

0 

O 

L 

s 

•C 

o 

O)  I 

£ 

c 

0 

■c 

o 

o 


Oi 
O 
hi 

9\ 


ID 

n 

r 

1 

r 

(0 

O 

ID 


n 

2 S 

(flu 
UJ  0 
J 

<z 

in< 

. U. 


UJ 

z 
□ 
a 

2 
0 
u 

[yFl 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  74 


INTERFACE  AGE  111 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  83 


RELIABLE  APPLE  SOFTWARE 
NOW  AVAILABLE  ON  CASSETTE 

All  programs  are  written  in  Integer  BASIC  & run  in  16K 
unless  otherwise  stated. 

1.  Rainbow's  Pot-ol-Gold,  Vol.  1,-  49  BASIC  programs 

2.  Microchess  - Graphic  display,  beginning  to  intermediate, 

$49 

Machine  language  and  BASIC 

15 

3.  Inventory  - Holds  approximately  140  Items  in  16K 

4.  Income  Tax  - 1040,  Schedules  A&B.  requires  20K  & 

35 

Applesoft  1 

5.  Morse  Code  Trainer  - Variable  speed  1-100  wpm.uses  Apple- 

25 

volt  1 

10 

6.  Appletalkcr  • Gives  your  APPLE  a voice,  machine  language 

7.  Speed  Reading.  Vols.  1-4.  four  programs  designed  to  improve 

15 

your  reading  speed 

8.  Galactic  Battle  - Low  resolution,  real  time  space  battle 

9.  Apartment  Building  Investment  Analysis  - Analyzes  the 

15 

investment  potential  of  an  apratment  building 

15 

10.  Microproducts  Assembler  - Apple  assembler  machine  language, 
uses  4 K 

20 

11.  Devils  Dungeon  Exciting  adventure  game 

10 

12.  Appfeodian  - Irish  jig  composing  algorithm 

13.  Hi-Res  Life  - Conway's  original  Game  of  Life,  machine 

10 

language,  requires  24K 

14.  Appteviston  • H*gh  resolution  graphics  and  music  demo,  machine 

10 

language  and  BASIC 

15.  Black  lack  - One  or  two  players  in  low-res  graphics, 

15 

machine  language  and  BASIC 
16.  Apple  Checkbook  • Complete  checkbook  balancing 

10 

and  reconciliation  program 

20 

Software  is  available  on  disk  for  a media  charge  of  $5.00 

Send  Check  or  Money  Order,  sorry  no  C.O.D.,  to: 

RAINBOW  COMPUTING 

10723  White  Oak  Ave.,  Dept.  1 A 
Granada  Hills,  CA  91344 
(213)  360-2171 

California  Residents  add  6%  sales  tax 
Allow  3-4  weeks  for  delivery 

INC. 

Sometimes,  because  of  a blown  program,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  restart  the  system.  This  would  normally  be  done 
without  turning  the  printer  off,  and  since  the  restart  rou- 
tine zeros  the  carriage  absolute  position  count,  you 
could  be  left  with  a printer  sitting  half  way  across  the 
page  and  the  system  thinking  this  was  the  left  margin. 
The  way  out  of  this  is  to  use  the  "restore”  line.  On  my 
printer  I bring  this  out  to  a push  button  on  the  front  of 
the  printer.  This  works  well  for  me.  However,  you  might 
like  to  have  the  restore  button  on  the  keyboard  as  I had 
in  an  earlier  configuration. 

Now  you’re  on  your  own.  I certainly  hope  that  you  will 
gain  as  much  use  from  your  printer  as  I have  from  mine. 
It’s  a super  mechanism  and  deserves  much  more  recog- 
nition from  the  hobbyist  than  it  is  presently  getting. □ 


Table  III. 

Special  Printer 

“Control”  Functions 

Control  Character 

HEX  Code 

Function 

h 

08 

Backspace 

t 

14 

Reset  the  left  margin 

q 

11 

CR  + LF 

i 

OC 

Reverse  linefeed 

Note:  These  special  functions  are  recognized  by  the  printer  driver  soft- 
ware — not  by  the  printer  itself.  It  is  the  driver  software  which  tells  the 
printer  how  to  perform  these  functions. 


PROGRAM  2 


.TITLE  'DAISYWHEEL  PRINTER  CONTROL  ROUTINE ' 

.RADIX  1b 

{This  program  la  written  for  2-00  driven  control 
;of  a Diablo  HYTYPE  1 (TM)  printer  oecnaniaa  vnioh 
;Has  a 12  bit  data  input  bua. 

;The  program  uaes  a temporary  storage  RAM 
;looated  between  A3f0  and  A3FF.  The  program  is 
{also  configured  for  use  with  an  interface  PROM  for 
;the  print  data.  The  data  ports  used  are — 

; Input  AOssetup  sense  switches  and  printer  readies 
; A ^reserved  for  keyboard  Input  (not  used) 

{Output  AOsPrinter  and  platen  low  data  byte 
; AisFrinter  and  platen  low  data  byte 


0000'  *5 

DIABLO 

PUSH 

PSW 

SAVE  THE  HEG1STERS 

0001'  C5 

PUSh 

b 

0002'  05 

PUSh 

D 

0003*  E5 

PUSH 

H 

0004 ' 3EE0 

MV1 

A.0E0 

INITIALIZE  THE  STROBES 

0006*  D3M 

OUT 

0A1 

000o'  DBA0 

IN 

0A0 

ChECK  THE  SETUP  SWITCHES 

O00A'  47 

MOV 

b,  A 

AND  SAVE  IN  '&' 

The  input  data 

byte  is  in  register  C. 

It  is 

assured 

ASCII 

000B'  79 

MOV 

A,C 

000C'  E67F 

AN1 

It 

STRIP  PARITY 

OOOfc*  4f 

HGV 

C.A 

OOOF*  FE21 

CHAR: 

CPI 

21 

PRINT  BET  21H  AND  7 EH 

0011'  3<J2b 

JRC 

SPACE 

0013'  FE7F 

CPI 

7F 

0015'  2622 

JRZ 

SPACE 

The  subroutine 

for  printing  an  ASCII  character 

0017'  70 

>RNAS: 

MOV 

A,B 

GET  THE  SWITCH  DATA 

0010'  Of 

HRC 

SHIFT  TO 

0019’  OF 

RRC 

CORRECT  POSITION 

001 A'  E60C 

AN1 

OC 

MASK  IT 

001C'  FbFO 

0R1 

0F0 

RIBBON  LIFT  APROh  ENABLE 

001E'  D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

STRObES  STILL  OFF 

0020'  57 

MOV 

D,A 

HOLD  THE  PRESS.  DATA 

0021’  79 

MOV 

A,C 

0022'  D3A0 

OUT 

0A0 

ASCII  BYTE  TO  PROM 

0024*  OBAO 

PftNI: 

IN 

0A0 

ChECK  STATUS 

0026'  CB47 

blT 

0,A 

OF  THE  PRINT  WHEEL 

0020'  20FA 

JRNZ 

PHNi 

002A'  7A 

H0V 

A,D 

STROBb  THE 

002B'  E6DE 

ANl 

ODE 

002D'  D3A1 

OU1 

0A1 

PRINT  WhEEL  ON 

002F'  f 620 

OR! 

20 

AND  Of F 

0031’  D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

0033’  3LE0 

MV1 

A,0t0 

REfiOVt  THE  RIBBON  LIFT 

0035*  D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

112  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  90 


OCTOBER  1978 


COMPUTER  INTERFACES  & PERIPHERALS 


For  free  catalog  including  parts  lists  and  schematics,  send  a self-addressed  stamped  envelope. 


APPLE  II  SERIAL  I/O 
INTERFACE  * m i 


TV.  TYPEWRITER 


8K  STATIC 
RAM 


Pari  no.  106 

• Stand  alone  TVT 

• 32  char/ line.  16 
lines,  modifications 
lor  64  char/ line  in- 

Parallel 


Baud  rate  is  continuously  adiustable  .njwKfS 
from  0 to  30,000  • Plugs  into  any  penph-  , J'jS 
eral  connector  • Low  current  dram.  RS- 
232  input  and  output  • On  board  switch  fj|j| 
selectable  5 to  8 data  bits.  1 or  2 stop  |1IH- 
bits,  and  parity  or  no  parity  either  odd  or  ||jH 
even  • Jumper  selectable  address  • 'W'jjj 
SOFTWARE  • Input  and  Output  routine 
from  monitor  or  BASIC  to  teletype  or  other  serial  printer 
• Program  tor  using  an  Apple  II  (or  a video  or  an  intelli- 
gent terminal  Also  can  output  in  correspondence  code 
to  interlace  with  some  selectncs  Board  only  — $15.00; 
with  parts  — $42.00:  assembled  and  tested  — $62  00. 


Part  no  300 

• 8K  Altair  bus  memory  • 

Uses  2102  Static  memory  chips  • Mem- 
ory protect  • Gold  contacts  • Wait  states  • On 
board  regulator  • S-100  bus  compatible  • Vector 
input  option  • TRI  state  buffered  • Board  only 
$22.50;  with  parts  $160.00 


eluded 
ASCII  (TTL)  input  • I 

1 ■ • i ijni  ..~t  ■■ 

ter  controlled  cur- 
ser  • Auto  scroll  • 

Non-destructive  curser  • Curser  inputs:  up.  down.  left, 
right,  home.  EOL,  EOS  • Scroll  up,  down  • Requires  +5 
volts  at  1 5 amps,  and  -12  volts  at  30  mA  • All  7400.  TTL 
chips  • Char.  gen.  2513  • Upper  case  only  • Board  only 
$39  00;  with  parts  $145.00 


RF  MODULATOR 


MODEM 


Part  no.  107 

lated  RF,  Channels  2 or  3.  So 

powerful  almost  no  tuning  is  re- 

quired.  On  board  regulated 

power  supply  makes  this  ex- 

tremely  stable.  Rated  very 

highly  in  Doctor  Dobbs'  Journal.  Recommended 

by  Apple.  • Power  required  is  12  volts  AC  C.T.,  or 

+5  volts  DC  • Board  $7.60;  with  parts  $13.50 


Part  no.  109 

• Type  103  • Full  or  halt  M 

duplex  • Works  up  to  300 

baud  • Originate  or  Ans- 

wer  • No  coils,  only  low  3m . 

cost  components  • TTL  ’•  YMljnJter' 

input  and  output-serial  • \ 

Connect  8 ohm  speaker 
and  crystal  mic.  directly  to  board  • Uses  XR  FSK 
demodulator  • Requires  +5  volts  • Board  $7.60; 
with  parts  $27,50 


RS  232/TTY 
INTERFACE 


DC  POWER  SUPPLY 


Part  no.  112 

• Tape  Interface  Direct  Memory  Access  • Record 
and  play  programs  without  bootstrap  loader  (no 
prom)  has  FSK  encoder/decoder  for  direct  con- 
nections to  low  cost  recorder  at  1200  baud  rate, 
and  direct  connections  for  inputs  and  outputs  to  a 
digital  recorder  at  any  baud  rate.  • S-100  bus  com- 
patible • Board  only  $35.00;  with  parts  $110.00 


Pari  no.  6085 

• Board  supplies  a regulated  +5  volts 
at  3 amps.,  +12.  -12,  and  -5  volts  at 
1 amp.  • Power  required  is  8 volts  AC 
at  3 amps.,  and  24  volts  AC  C.T.  at  1 .5 
amps.  • Board  only  $12.50;  with 
parts  excluding  transformers  $42.50 


Pari  no.  600 

• Converts  RS-232  to  20mA 
current  loop,  and  20mA  current 
loop  to  RS-232  • Two  separate 
circuits  • Requires  +12  and  -12 
volts  • Board  only  $4.50,  with 
parts  $7.00 


UART  & BAUD  RATE 
GENERATOR* 


TAPE  INTERFACE 


RS  232/TTL 
INTERFACE 


Part  no.  Ill  v 

• Play  and  record  Kansas 
City  Standard  tapes  • 

Converts  a low  cost  tape 

recorder  to  a digital  re- 

corder  • Works  up  to  1200  Bp 

baud  • Digital  in  and  out 

are  TTL-serial  • Output  of 

board  connects  to  mic.  in  / V 

of  recorder  • Earphone  of  l W 

recorder  connects  to  input  on  board  • No  coils  • 

Requires  +5  volts,  low  power  drain  • Board  $7.60; 

with  parts  $27.50 


• Converts  senai  to  parallel  j| 

and  parallel  to  serial  • Low  * 

cost  on  board  baud  rate  L 

generator ‘Baud  rales  110.  r 

2400  • Low  power  dram  *5  nlllmlYffftttlTfTi 
volts  and  -12  volts  required  ■■^^^■iUlLLLLLLi 

• TTL  compatible  • All  characters  contain  a start  bit.  5 to 
8 data  bits,  t or  2 stop  bits,  and  either  odd  or  even  parity. 

• All  connections  go  to  a 44  pm  gold  plated  edge  connec- 
tor • Board  only  $12  00;  with  parts  $35.00  with  connector 
add  $3.00 


Part  no.  232  ' ^ 

• Converts  TTL  to  RS-232, 
and  converts  RS-232  to 
TTL  • Two  separate  circuits 

• Requires  -1 2 and  +1 2 volts 

• All  connections  go  to  a 10  pin  gold  plated  edge 
connector  • Board  only  $4.50,  with  parts  $7.00 
with  connector  add  $2  00 


ELECTRONIC  SYSTEMS 


Mention  part  number  and  description  For  parts  kits  add  "A"  to  part  number  In  USA.  shipping  paid  tor  orders  accompanied  by  check,  money  order,  or 
Master  Charge.  BankAmencard.  or  VISA  number,  expiration  date  and  signature  Shipping  charges  added  to  COD  orders  California  residents  add  6 5% 
tor  tax  Outside  USA  add  10%  lor  air  mail  postage.no  C O D s.  Checks  and  money  orders  must  be  payable  in  US  dollars  Parts  kits  include  sockets  for  all 
ICs.  components  and  circuit  board.  Documentation  is  included  with  all  products  All  items  are  in  stock,  and  will  be  shipped  the  day  order  is  received  via 
first  class  mail  Prices  are  in  US  dollars.  No  open  accounts  To  eliminate  tariff  in  Canada  boxes  are  marked  "Computer  Parts'"  Dealer  inquiries  invited 
24  Hour  Order  Line:  (408)  226-4064  * Circuits  designed  by  John  Bell 


r — 

ij  , 

< '-V- 

- 

■ ,'n  — 

f-  •f  : r • =4+ 

OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  113 


jVc  vem  7>ei  44  Sr  42  4978 

DENVER  MERCHANDISE  MART 
451  E 58  th  STREET 
DENVER,  COLORADO 


PRESENTED  BY  THE  DENVER  AMATEUR  COMPUTER  SOCIETY 
FOR  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  PERSONAL  COMPUTING  IN  THE 
ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  REGION.  WE  WILL  BE  FEATURING  A 
ROUNDUP  OF  NATIONAL  AND  REGIONAL  MANUFACTURERS, 
DISTRIBUTORS  AND  RETAILERS  OF  PERSONAL  COMPUTERS, 
COMPONENTS  AND  SOFTWARE  FOR  YOUR  VIEWING  AND 


PURCHASING  PLEASURE. 
MORRISON,  CO  80465 


114  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  89 


OCTOBER  1978 


0037'  1604 

JMPR 

SPC1 

;T0  ADVANCE  THt  CAHhlAUb 

These 

routines  perform  the  various  carriage 

space 

backspace  and 

return  functions.  ChLF  Is 

a single  command  for 

both  the  CR  and  LF  thus 

providing  a 

potential 

program  savings  in  externa 

programs  and 

for  local  operations. 

0039’  Fr20 

PACE: 

CPI 

20 

{SPACE? 

003b*  200C 

JRN2 

BKSP 

• 

0030'  1600 

PCi: 

MV1 

0,00 

S 

005F'  CO  009b* 

SPVAL: 

CALL 

CARSP 

;G£T  ThE  PITCh 

00*2*  5F 

MOV 

M 

• 

00*3'  CD  00b9* 

CALL 

CAKKV 

;D0  11 

00*6*  C3  0095* 

JMP 

RETN 

{DONE 

00*9'  r£0e 

SKSP: 

CPI 

00 

; BACKSPACE? 

004b*  200* 

JKNZ 

CR 

• 

004D*  ibOo 

MV1 

D.06 

;SET  REVERSE  blT 

004F*  tfltt 

JMPR 

SPVAL 

0051'  FE0D 

CPI 

0b 

;Cfl? 

0053’  2012 

JRNZ 

CRLF 

• 

0055*  Cu  005b' 

CALL 

CARTS 

;C C A HETliRN 

0050*  C3  0095' 

JMP 

RETN 

i 

005b*  2A  JL3FC 

:artn : 

LhLD 

0A3FC 

;CET  ThE  CARR.  POSITION 

005E’  7C 

MOV 

A.H 

* 

005F*  F60b 

0R1 

06 

;SET  THE  REVERSE  BIT 

0061’  57 

MOV 

D.A 

* 

0062'  50 

MOV 

E.L 

5 

0063'  CD  00B9* 

CALL 

CARMV 

• 

0066'  C9 

RET 

S 

0067’  f £1 1 

RLE : 

CPI 

11 

{LINEFEED 

0069’  2005 

JRKZ 

LF 

• 

006b • CD  005B' 

CALL 

CARTN 

;DO  THE  RETURN 

006E'  1604 

JMPR 

L1KEF 

;The  next  routines  perform  the  linefeed  functions. 
;Kote  that  the  Diablo  has  a reverse  LF  and  that 
;the  platen  does  not  need  to  move  a line  at  a tlae. 


0070’  FE0A 

LF: 

CPI 

0A 

LINEFEED? 

0072*  2005 

JRNZ 

RL1NF 

0074*  CD  00Ao' 

LINEf: 

CALL 

LINSP 

GET  THE  SPACING 

0077’  CD  OOF 2’ 

LINFi: 

CALL 

PLTMV 

MOV  ThE  PLATEN 

007A*  C3  0095' 

JhP 

«ETN 

0070’  FEOC 

hLIKF : 

CPI 

oc 

REVERSE  LINEFEED? 

007F'  2009 

JRNZ 

RSETL 

0061'  CD  00A6' 

CALL 

LINSP 

0064*  7A 

MOV 

A,  D 

0065'  F606 

ORI 

0O 

SET  ThE  REVERSE  BIT 

0067*  57 

MOV 

0,A 

0066'  16EB 

JMPR 

LihF  i 

{Utility  to  reset  the 

left  margin  with  control 

006A’  Ft 14 

RSETL: 

CPI 

14 

RESET  LEFT  MARGIN? 

006C'  2007 

JRNZ 

RETN 

ERROR  TRAP  HOME 

006E'  AK 

XRA 

A 

006F*  57 

MOV 

D.A 

0050*  5F 

MOV 

E.A 

0091’  tb53  A3FC 

SDED 

0A3FC 

STORE  CARR  POSN 

{Final 

return 

to  program 

0095*  El 

RETN: 

POP 

H 

RESTORE  STATUS 

009b'  D1 

POP 

D 

0097’  Cl 

POP 

b 

0096’  FI 

POP 

PSh 

0099’  79 

MOV 

A,C 

009A’  C9 

RET 

{Routine  to 

select  the  carriage  spacing  fro 

;D1p  switch  position. 

009b’  76 

CARSP 

MOV 

A.B 

009C’  E660 

AN1 

60 

009E'  FE60 

CPI 

60 

OOAO*  2003 

JRNZ  TENC1 

00A2'  3E0A 

HV1 

A,0A 

12  CHARS  PER  INCH 

OOA4'  C9 

RET 

OOA5*  3EOC 

1ENC1 

MV  I 

A ,0C 

10  CHARS  PER  INCH 

00A7 ' C9 

RET 

• 

{Routine  to 

select  the  platen  spacing  from 

{DIP 

switch 

position. 

00A6'  A f 

LINSP 

XRA 

A 

00A9'  57 

MOV 

D.A 

OOAA'  7b 

MOV 

A.B 

OOAB'  £640 

AN1 

40 

00 AD’  KE«0 

CPI 

40 

OOAF ' 2004 

JRNZ  L1NS2 

00b 1 ' 3E06 

HVI 

A, 06 

SET  SINGLE  SPACE 

00B3'  5F 

MOV 

£,  A 

00b4'  C9 

RET 

0065'  3E10 

L1NS2 

MV1 

A, 10 

SET  DOUBLE  SPACE 

00B7’  5F 

MOV 

E.A 

00B6’  C9 

RET 

Routine  for  setting  the  12  bits  of  carriage 
information  on  the  data  lines  checking  the  ready 
and  strobing  the  carriage  to  move. 


BVTE 

Our  experience  has  proven  the 
SOL-20  to  be  among  the  very 
best  computers.  So  we  confident- 
ly offer  this  fine  system,  either 
kit  or  assembled,  along  with 
compatible  peripherals  and  oper- 
ating software. 

PERIPHERALS 

• North  Star  MICRO-DISK 

• Centronics  700  Series  Printers 

• Micromation  Disk  System 

SOFTWARE 

• Powerful  Word  Processor  for 
SOL  on  North  Star  Disk. 

• Inventory  Control 

• New  business  packages  coming 


SHOPS 


JIlLII  iJ  et  Sautfi  Rrnda 

'PvucMty  'peatwie  SOL"20 


Continuing  service  and  assistance,  and  a complete  line  of  books  and  magazines  are  offered  at  both 
locations,  to  assure  you  that  your  system,  purchased  from  one  of  the  BYTE  SHOPS  of  South  Florida, 
will  keep  giving  you  excellent  performance. 

2 Locations  open  10-6  Monday  through  Friday,  Saturday  10-2 
BYTE  SHOP  OF  MIAMI  BYTE  SHOP  OF  FORT  LAUDERDALE 

7825  Bird  Road,  Miami,  FL  33155  1 044  E.  Oakland  Park  Blvd.,  Ft.  Lauderdale,  FL  33334 

DIAL  (305)  264-BYTE  DIAL  (305)  561-BYTE 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  73 


INTERFACE  AGE  115 


81T5 


m 


Ssissitixti }htt  4«*c 


B^TES 

SERVES  YOU  WITH: 


Digital  Group 
I MSA  I 

Industrial  Microsystems 
Micro  Design 
North  Star 
PerSci 

Pickles  & Trout 


Poly  Morphic  Systems 

Selectcrm 

Solid  State  Music 

Soroc 

Tarbcll 

Technical  Design  Labs 
Vector  Graphic 


BITS  N BYTES 
College  Business  Park 
679  “D”  S.  State  College  Blvd. 
Fullerton,  Calif.  92631 
(714)  879-8386 
NEW  HOURS! 

11  A.M.  - 7 P.M.  M-F 
12-5  P.M.  Sat. 


Our  Representative  In  San  Diego!  Jim  Farthing 
(714)  421-1041 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  69 


0OB9’  ED53  A3F0 

CARMV: 

SPED 

0A3F0 

; STORE  THE  POSITION  STATUS 

00BD'  7B 

HOV 

A,£ 

OObt'  2F 

CKA 

INVERT  THE  PATA 

OOfcr*  P3A0 

OUT 

0A0 

O0C1'  7 A 

MOV 

A.P 

OOCi*  2F 

CMA 

O0C3*  E60F 

AM 

OF 

LOS  NIBBLE  ONLY 

00C5*  F6E0 

OR1 

0E0 

STROBES  OFF 

0OC7 ’ D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

HIGH  BYTE  TO  PIABLO 

0OC9*  4F 

MOV 

C , A 

SAVE  11 

OOCA'  DbAO 

CARPI : 

IS 

0A0 

IS  THE  CARRIAGE  REAPY? 

OOCC*  CBRF 

BIT 

1 1 A 

OOCfc'  20FA 

JRNZ 

CARPI 

OODO*  79 

KOV 

A ,C 

GET  THE  HIGH  BYTE 

OODV  L6Af 

AM 

OAF 

SET  THE  STROBE 

00D3'  D3A 1 

OUT 

0A1 

ANP  DO  IT 

00DV  F6«»0 

ORI 

NO 

STROBE 

0007’  03A1 

OUT 

0A1 

OFF 

This  routine  adds  the  carriage  novenent  increment 
(or  subtracts  it)  to  (from)  the  absolute  carriage 
address  on  completion  of  a carriage  movement 


0009'  EP5b  A3F0 

LD£P 

0A3F0 

GET  ThE  MOVEMENT  INCREMENT 

0000'  CB5A 

BIT 

3,D 

TEST  FOR  REVERSE 

OODF*  200b 

JRNZ 

SUbTH 

00E1 ' 2A  A3FC 

LHLD 

0A3FC 

OOEN  * 19 

PAD 

0 

00£5*  1007 

JMPR 

STORE 

OOE7 ' E607 

SUBTR: 

ANI 

07 

MASK  ThE  REV  bIT 

0OE9'  2A  A3FC 

LHLP 

0A3FC 

00EC*  £052 

DSbC 

0 

00EE*  22  A3FC 

STORE: 

SHLD 

0A3FC 

STORE  THE  CARR.  ADDR. 

00F1*  C9 

HET 

;here  the  platen  movement  is  set  and  strobed. 
;For  this  simple  driver  no  record  is  kept 
;of  the  platen  absolute  address. 


00F2*  7b 

PLTMV : 

MOV 

A,K 

SET  THE 

00F3'  2F 

CMA 

00FU*  D3A0 

OUT 

0A0 

LON  BYTE 

OOF 6*  7A 

MOV 

A,D 

MASK  AND  COMPLEMENT 

00F?'  2F 

CMA 

THE  HIGH  BYTE 

OOFb’  E60F 

ANI 

OF 

00FA*  F6E0 

ORI 

0E0 

RESET  THE  STROBES 

OOFC'  D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

AND  SEND  lh£  HIGH  BYTE 

OOFE'  HF 

MOV 

C»A 

SAVE  DURING  THE  CHECK 

00PF'  DBA0 

PLRDY : 

IN 

0A0 

GET  STATUS 

010V  CB57 

BIT 

2, A 

CHECK  IT 

0103’  20FA 

JRNZ 

PLRDY 

ic  s&ckcts 

Setter  Tin  lew  Prolile 
PIN  1 UP  PIN  HIP 

8 15  24  35 

14  .18  28  42 

16  20  36  56 

16  27  40  61 

22 


P.0.  Box  4430N  Santa  Clara,  CA  95054 
For  will  call  only:(408)  988-1640 


For  will  call  only:HU»)  SBB-1MU 
2322  Walsh  Ave.^ 

UUC/L 

ELECTRONICS 

CRYSTALS 

i liu.  i in  1 n inn  uu,  < oc  ■ 


8228 

535 

llMwn  wo  art 

8251 

9 25 

11t»n  ?5 

H on  V 

8253 

10  00 

7IM11*e>e  20 

8255 

COP18D2CO 

man 

CDP1881 

6820 

9 25 

1995 
25  00 
12  95 
995 

CONNECTORS 
44  p*  tfge  2.00 

100  pm  edge  4 50 

100  ten  edge  WW  5 25 

6650 

12  95 

M0S  MEMORY  RAM 

6502 

18  50 

2101-1 

395 

2102-1 

1 28 

1702* 

3 95 

2102M-4 

1 60 

I4I2S73 

2 95 

21702 

1.85 

H82S123 

350 

2KMA-4 

495 

H42SI26 

375 

2107B 

4 95 

N82S129 

375 

2111-1 

4 95 

N82SI31 

375 

2112-2 

395 

H32SI36 

8 75 

2114 

8 50 

K82SI37 

8 75 

4116 

24  95 

2708 

12  50 

251 38 

630 

DU6577 

290 

21102-1 

1 49 

8223 

290 

MM5262 

*0 

27I6T1 

22  50 

MM5280 

300 

1 MH| 

2 MHr 

4 MHr 

5 MHr 
10  MHr 
18  MHr 
20  MMr 
32  MHr 
32768  Hr 


4 50  2 0100  MHr  196 
4 50  2 097152  MHr  4 50 
4 25  2 4576  MHr  4 SO 

4 25  3 2766  MHr  4 50 

4 25  5 0666  MHr  4 50 

3 90  5 165  MHr  4 50 

3 90  5 7143  MHr  4 50 

3 90  6 5536  MHr  4 JO 

4 00  14.31811  " 


1 8432  MKr4  50  18  432  MHr 


ASCII  KEYBOAROS 

53  key  ut  555  00 

56  My  M S62  CO 

Enclosure  *14.95 


3 5795  MHr  1 20  22.1184  MHr  4 50 

30  MHr  Frequency  Conifer  Kil  $47.75 
Prescjlrr  Kit  to  350  MHr  SI 9 95 

COMPUTER  I0ARD  KITS 
6K  RAM  Board  Kit  $134  95 

4*  EPROM  M 114  95 

10  80Vd  Kit  44  50 

Exlcn**  Board  • conneclor  12  50 

Video  terertace  board  tat  125  00 

16K  EPROM  board  M * o PHOMS  74  50 
16*  Static  RAM  boaid  M 395  00 

Norm  Star  Flew  Ouk  Kit  $665  00 

AMfettil  Drive  KA  415  00 

Parakoalci  100A  Look 

Analyze  Kit  $199  00 

Model  10  Trigger  Expand*/  Kf  $229  00 
Model  150  to  Crabber  KA  $369  00 


New  Cosmac  Super  "ELF" 

RCA  CMOS  expandable  to  64K  microcomputer 
w/HEX  keypad  Input  and  video  output  lor  graphics. 
Just  turn  on  and  start  loadrng  your  program  using 

256  Bytes  of  RAM.  audio  amp.  & spkr.  Detailed 
assy.  man.  w/PC  board  & all  pads  fully  socketed. 
Comp.  Kit  $106.95.  High  address  display  option 
8.95;  Low  address  display  option  9.95;  Custom 

Auto  Clock  Kit  $15.95 

DC  clock  with  4-  50'  displays  Uses  National 
MA  1012  module  with  alarm  option.  Indudes 
light  dimmer,  crystal  timebase  PC  boards. 

Video  Modulator  Kit  $8.95  1 

Convert  your  TV  set  into  a high  quality  monitor  1 
without  affecting  normal  usage  Complete  kit  1 
with  full  instructions 

the  resident  monitor  on  ROM.  Pushbutton  selec- 
tion of  al  four  CPU  modes.  LED  indicators  of 

Battery  Backup  Kit  w/all  parts  4.95.  Fully  wired  & 

lor  beautiful  dark  gray  case.  Best  value 

| RCA  CosmacVIP  Kil 

$275.00  | 

software  dub.  10-12  pg.  monthly  publication 

4K  Ell  Expansion  Board  Kil  with  Cassette  l/F  $79.95  12  00  per  yr 

All  parts  and  instructions  $4.40. 

Sinclair  3Vi  Digit  Multimeter  *59  95  1 

Available  on  board  options:  IK  super  ROM  monitor  $19.95.  Parallel  I/O  port  $7.95.  RS232  l/F  $3.50. 
TTY  20  ma  l/F  $1.95.  S-100  Memory  l/F  $4.50.  Need  4K  Expansion  Board  Kit  for  all  above  options. 
Power  Supply  Kit  + 12V  5 amp  $24.95. 

Tiny  Basic  fnr  ANY  1RD2  System 

78  IC  Update  Master  Manual 

1978  IC  Update  Master  Manual  $30.00 

Complete  IC  data  selector  2175  pg.  Master  ref- 

Baft  oper.  tmV  and  1NA  resolution.  Rests-  1 
tance  to  20  meg  1%  accuracy.  Small,  portable.  1 
completely  assem.  m case.  1 yr.  guarantee.  1 

Cassette  StO.OO  c„„„  „.  ‘ Object  code  listing  or 

on  ROM  Monitor  S38.00  Supe  E 0OTers  ^ 30  “0|1  paper  tape  with  manual  *5  50 

Free  update  service  through  1978.  Oomestic 
postage  $3.50.  Foreign  $6.00. 

PROM  Eraser 

Ultraviolet,  assembled 

S49.95  \ 

TERMS:  $5.00  min.  order  U S.  Funds.  Calif  residents  add  6%  tax.  BankAmerlcard  and  Master  Charge  accepted.  Shipping  charges  will  be  added  on  charge  cards. 
FREE:  Send  for  your  copy  of  our  NEW  1978  QUEST  CATALOG.  Include  28e  stamp. 


116  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  8* 


OCTOBER  1976 


Z-2D 


You  can't  beat  our  prices  . . . 

nor  can  you  beat  our  delivery! 

CROMEMCO 

SYSTEM  3 

ist  $5990  PRICE  $4999 


NORTH  STAR 

SAVE  MORE  THAN  15% 

Complete  Minifloppy  Disk  System 

w/BASIC  and  drive.  Kit  List  $699  $ 589 

Assembled,  List  $799  689 

4 MHz  Z-80  CPU  Board,  Kit  $199  169 

Assembled/Tested  List  $259  209 

16K  Dynamic  RAM  Board, 

Kit  (order  as  01-3216-0)  List  $399  329 

Assembled/Tested  (01-4216-0)  $459  . . 379 

CPM  Disk  Operating  System  Conversion 
Package  for  North  Star,  latest  version  . . . 145 


SPECIALS  ON 
TERMINALS 
and  PRINTERS 


DYNABYTE  57  Naked  Terminal 

Assembled/Tested  (order  03-4500-0) 

List  $350  OUR  CASH  PRICE  $ 280 

Intertube®  784 

DECwriter  II 1490 

Immediate  delivey  on  all  DEC  printers 

TELETYPE  43  Printers  - new 
AS  LOW  AS  880 

MORROW  Discus  I®  assembled 
and  Tested,  List  $995 849 

Check  our  prices  on  Hazeltine  1500,  1400. 
Soroc  120,  and  Lear  Siegler  ADM3A. 

ONLY  $ 769 


HORIZONS  £ra.sche 

Horizon  1 Kit,  List  $1599  $1349 

Assembled/Tested  List  $1899 1 599 

Horizon  2 (w/2  drives)  Kit  List  $1999  1 699 

Assembled/Tested  List  $2349 1 939 

SUPER  SYSTEM 

Horizon  1 Assembled/Tested  w/2  serial 
ports,  1 parallel  port,  6 extra  edge 
connectors.  List  $2065  . . $1749 

Horizon  1 Kit  w/above  extras  List  1699  1429 

Horizon  2 Assembled/Tested  with 
above  extras  List  $2515 2129 

Horizon  2 Kit  w/above  extras  (2099)  1 779 


Check  our  prices  on  Hazeltine  1500, 
1400,  Soroc  120,  and  ADM3A. 


HAZELTINE  1400  Terminal  (Assembled) 
OR  LEAR  SIEGLER  ADM3A  (Kit)  - 

including  RS232  Cable  — when  purchased 
with  Horizon  or  Cromemco  System  . 

ONLY  $769 


SUPER  BUYS  ON 
MEMORY  BOARDS 

CROMEMCO  — SAVE  $300 
16K  RAM  Board,  factory  assembled/ 
tested,  List  $795  OUR  CASH  PRICE  $495 

DYNABYTE  16K  Static  Board 

MSC1645,  450ns  329 

MSC1625,  250ns 359 

assembled,  tested,  guaranteed  one  year. 

MORROW  THINKER  TOYS  - 
Super  RAM®  1 6K  Static,  Kit 
450ns  List  $299  . OUR  CASH  PRICE  $269 

For  250ns  version,  add  $35.  For  factory  assembly 
and  testing,  add  $35 


CROMEMCO  BOARDS 

4 MHz  Single  Card  Computer, 

Kit,  List  $395  (order  02-3511-0) $ 335 

Assembled/Tested  $450(02-4511-0)  382 

Bytesaver  PROM  Board  and  PROM 

Programmer,  Kit.  without  PROM 

List  $145  (order  as  02-33080) 123 

Assembled/Tested  List  $245  (02-4308-0)  208 

TU-ART  Digital  Interface,  Kit 

List  $195  (order  as  02-3440-0)  165 

Assembled/Tested,  $295  (02-4440  0)  250 

Disk  Controller  Card,  Kit 

List  $395  (order  as  02-3701-0)  335 

Assembled/Tested , $595  (02-4701-01  51 5 

TV  Dazzler,  Kit  $215  (02-3501-0)  182 

Assembled/Tested,  List  $350(024501-0)  297 


PRICES  IN  THIS  AD  ARE  FOR 
PREPAID  CASH  ORDERS.  Slightly 
higher  prices  apply  for  credit  card 
and  C.O.D.  purchases. 


WRITE  FOR  FREE  CATALOG  on 
hundreds  of  items  at  discount  prices. 
Credit  card  and  COD  shipments  also 
at  discount,  but  slightly  higher  than 
cash  prices. 


For  shipping,  add  $2  tor  boards.  $6  for  floppy  disk  systems.  $12  lor  Horizons,  $15  for  Cromemco 
Z-2  and  Z-2D  Kits.  Assembled  Cromemco  systems.  DEC  printers,  and  Teletype  43  units  are 
shipped  freight  collect. 

Above  prices  subject  to  change  without  notice.  All  offers  subject  to  withdrawal  without  notice. 
STORE  HOURS:  9-5  Mon-Fri,  Sat  & Evenings  by  appointment. 


CROMEMCO 
DISK  SOFTWARE 

BASIC,  Fortran,  Assembler,  Cobol,  Word 
Processing  System.  Data  Base  Management, 
all  complete  with  CMOS  disk  operating 

system.  List  $95  each $80  each 

Multiple  User  BASIC  Now  Available! 

INTERFACE  AGE  117 


1618  James  Street,  Syracuse,  New  York  1 3203  (31 5)  422-4467 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  86 


OCTOBER  1978 


I JMJ  DIGITAL  DISPLAY  | 
mmam  bezel  wmm 


MOLEX  I.C.  SOCKET  PINS 


.101  SWITCHES 


CATALOG 


AN  MA1003  CLOCK  MODULI  BY  NAYIONAL  SEMICONDUCTOR  fyily 
auemMed.  retire  and  reody  to  run  on  1?  VDC  thu  0 3 fluorewerir 
divpkty  oe\*gn«*d  to  reptoce  thove  troublesome  met  Nome  ol  clocks  It  is 
protected  ogotml  outomotive  volioge  tronsients  ond  fever soli  with 
timekeeping  momtomed  to  9 VOC  Automatic  d-\p»oy  brightmi  control 
loa»c  blanks  the  display  wi»h  the  lomtion  off,  reduce-.  brightness  »0 
33*.  with  pork  or  hfod  1.0  Ms  artS  follows  the  doth  lamp  dimming  control 
setting  Its  crystoi  time  base  assurer  on  occuocv  of  7 seconds  per  doy 
at  ?5  * ond  5 seconds  per  doy  over  the  ronge  of  7$  C to  6 SC 
AN  AntACTIVf  INLAID  WALNUT  A CMROMT  TRIM  II Z El  - Designed  «o 
be  e»ther  flush  mounted  or  used  as  0 face  ptote  for  the  enclosure  Its 
deep  'ecessed  &\ph\f  elimmcles  glare  ond  reflection  wfwle  its  blue 
acrylic  filter  pro*  .dr\  optimum  display  contrast 
A NON  GLARE  BLACK  ENCLOSURT  WITH  A 270*  SWIVEL  BRACKET  - Is 
mode  of  ABS  ptosK  and  designed  for  mounting  on  under  or  ogamst 
the  ceding  dosh  or  almost  ornrwhere  in  your  cor  »an  or  boot  Or 
use  os  0 bock  boi.  '»  you  choose  to  flush  mount  the  betel  The 
enclosure  betel  tomb^otion  con  be  flush  mounted  on  ponelmq  up  to 
S 1 6 thick  ond  m oddit>on  is  designed  to  fit  between  the  nbi  of  most 
»ons 

J PUSH  BUTTON  SWITCHES  ■ Tor  gu«k  ond  s-mpfe  setting  of  hours 
mmu»es  ond  d*spk»y  OCt nation  with  the  ign*i-on  off  These  switches 
con  he  mounted  directly  on  the  bete<  or  enclosure  or  mounted  re 
motely  if  you  prefer 

A SIT  Of  EAST  TO  FOLLOW  INSTRUCTIONS  To  guide  you  step  by  step 
Mounting  hardware  -xkded 

MAI 003  Clock  Module  ond  Switches  only  ...  15.95 

401  Bezel  ond  Enclosure  only 5.95 

500 1 K Digi-Clock  Kit  (mciudei MA1003  ond  401 1 . . . 2 1 .90/ 


• Trouble-free  Module! 

• 270°  Swivel  Mount! 

• Inlaid  Walnut  Chrome 
Trim  Bezel! 

• Ideal  for  Car,  Van 
or  Boat! 

3-5/8"i2-3/16"  ToIIk 
2-1/8"  Deep! 

Quick  ond  Eosy  To  Install! 


PCLOCK  MODULE* 

SALE  OF  SALES 


FOR  MA1002  ANDMA1010 
CLOCK  MODULES  ^ 


A MICROCOMPUTER  AT  A MICROPRICE! 

— t: iWwirj  I FEATURES: 

'•  '.fl  j • i\wn»hM.»dTnl«l.>rtml>  KIW9G 

■I  j I ''I  i W?P!i!!1|  • standard  4i"  In  t.V  rani  with  72  pin  «f«» 


DIGI-KEY 

CORPORATION 

Quality  Klmronir  ('.omfioncnt* 


MW.,  AK.,  HI.  RESIDENTS] 


I.C.'S  • RESISTORS  . TRANSISTORS  • CAPACITORS  . DIODES  . I.C.  SOCKETS  & PINS  • SWITCHES 
CLOCK  MOOULES  . OPTOELECTRONICS  • BREADBOADING  A TESTING  DEVICES  . DRAFTING  SUPPLIES 
DATABOOKS  . HEATSINKS  • WIRE  . TOOLS  ■ ■ . ANO  MORE  ...  WRITE  FOR  FREE  CATALOG 


DOUBLE  DIGIT  DISCOUNTS  SAVE  YOU  EVEN  MORE! 


HANDLING  HANOUNO  CMAIOT  VOLUME 

CHARGES  iSrjSUS :X£2  DISCOUNT 

$ 0.0*5  4.99. . . Add  $2.00  » STtlUZ  * 0.00-5  24.94 

$ 5.00-524.49.  . . Add  $0.75  tCJd  * 25.00-5  99.99  . Leu  1 


U*  « oo  2 * «oo-$  »■” WT 

Add  $0.75  'LZTtZ  tCaSvS**!  $ 25.00-5  99.99  . leu  10% 
Add  50-50  thu  n.  — **  $ 100.00-5499.94  . leu  15% 

Add  5o.2s  * *00.00.5444.44  . uu  20% 

No  Cherg.  %££& gffXtSSS.  U 000.00  A Up  ...  U«i  25% 


5 25.00-549.99. . . Add  $0.50  n. 
5 50.00-599.99.  . , Add  50.25 
5100.00  A Up  ...  N«  Che  roe  \?L!1 


.J  —I  '1 

—rniiTigTum.  .1 


DIGI-KEY 


CORPORATION 


Quality  Electronic  Components 

P.0,  lei  A77  thief  I her  Mi,  MN  SA701  (211)  U1 -4474 


Btshop  COOLGLO 
Light  Table 


118  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  81 


OCTOBER  1978 


OIOS* 

79 

MOV 

A.C 

CE1  THE  BITE 

0106’ 

e,66F 

AM 

6F 

SET  THE  STROBE 

oiobf 

D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

AND  DO  IT 

010A* 

F660 

0R2 

60 

AND  TURN  IT  ( 

010C* 

D3A1 

OUT 

0A1 

010E* 

C9 

RET 

.END 


SAMPLE  TABLE 


BKSP 

00*9’ 

CARD! 

OOCA* 

CARMV 

00B9* 

CARSP 

009b 1 

CARTS 

005B* 

CHAR 

OOOF' 

CR 

0051' 

CRLF 

0067' 

DIABLO 

0000’ 

LI 

0070' 

L1NEF 

0074* 

L1NF1 

0077' 

LINS* 

OOB5* 

LINS? 

00A6* 

PLRDY 

00FF' 

PLTMV 

00F2' 

mi 

0024* 

PRNAS 

0017* 

RETN 

0095’ 

SLINF 

007 D' 

RSETL 

OOoA  * 

SPACE 

0039' 

SPCi 

003D’ 

SPVAL 

003F' 

STORE 

00EE' 

SUBTR 

00£7' 

TEN  Cl 

00A5' 

hex  listing  of  the  dlsblo  driver  for  location  FAOO 
>dr'AOO  FBOE 


FA00 

F5 

C5 

D5 

L5 

3E 

E0 

D3 

A1 

DB 

A0 

01 

79 

E6 

7 F 

4F 

FE 

FA10 

21 

3» 

26 

FE 

7F 

26 

22 

76 

OF 

OF 

E6 

0C 

F6 

F0 

03 

A 1 

ikcO 

57 

79  D3  AO 

DB 

a: 

CB 

47 

20 

FA 

7A 

E6 

DE 

03 

Ai 

rb 

FA30 

20 

D3 

A1 

31 

E0 

D3 

A1 

16 

04 

FE 

20 

20 

OC 

96 

00 

CD 

FA40 

9b 

FA 

5K 

u 

B9 

FA 

C3 

95 

FA 

FE 

06 

20 

04 

16 

Co 

16 

FASO 

EE 

FE 

OD 

20 

12 

CD 

5B 

FA 

C3  95 

FA 

2A 

FC 

A3 

7C 

F6 

FA60 

0d 

57 

5D  CD 

B9 

C9 

FE 

11 

20 

05 

CD 

5b 

FA 

id 

04 

FA70 

FE 

0A 

20 

09 

CD 

Ac 

FA 

:: 

F2 

FA 

C3 

95 

FA 

FE 

OC 

20 

FAO0 

09 

CD 

Ao 

FA 

7A 

F6 

06 

57 

16 

ED 

FE 

14 

20 

07 

AI 

57 

FA90 

5F 

ED  53 

FC 

A3 

Ei 

01 

Cl 

FI 

79 

C9 

76 

E6 

60 

FE 

60 

f AA0 

20 

03 

3 E 0A 

C9 

3E 

0C 

C9 

AF 

57 

70 

E6 

40 

t£ 

00 

20 

FABO 

3£  06 

5F 

C9 

3E 

10 

5F 

C9 

ED 

53 

F0 

A3 

7B 

2F 

03 

FAC0 

A0 

7A 

2F 

E6 

OF 

F6 

E0 

03 

A1 

4F 

DB 

A0 

CB 

4F 

20 

FA 

FAD0 

79 

£6 

AF 

D3 

A1 

F6 

40 

D3 

A i 

ED 

5B 

F0 

A3 

CB 

5A 

20 

FAE0 

06 

2A 

FC  A3 

19 

ib 

07 

£6 

07 

2A 

FC 

A3 

ED 

52 

22 

FC 

FAF0 

A3 

C9 

7B 

2F 

D3 

A0 

7A 

2F 

£6 

01 

F6 

E0 

03 

Ai 

4f 

DB 

FB00 

A0 

CB  57 

20 

FA 

79 

E6 

6F 

D3 

A1 

F6 

60 

D3 

Ai 

C9 

>AC=C 


SYSTEM  SELECTION  ADVICE.  WE  WILL  HELP 
YOU  TO  CHOOSE  FROM  THE  BEST  OF  EACH 
MANUFACTURER  TO  COMPLETE  THE  SYSTEM 
BEST  SUITED  TO  YOUR  NEEDS.  COME  SEE 
AND  try: 


PROCESSOR  TECH. 

SOL  20  SYSTEM 

TDL  ZPU  Z16K 

CROMEMCO 

POLYMORPHIC 

VECTOR  GRAPHICS 

IMSAi 

SWTP 

INTEL 

BYTE 


•COM  DISCS 
NORTH  STAR 

tarbell 

SEALS 

DYNABYTE 

LEAR  ADM  3A 

COMPUCOLOR 

SOROC 

SANYO 

HITACHI 


ALPHA  MICRO  16  8 
OKiDATA 
DECWRITER 
MULTITERM 
S R POLYPHONIC 

computalker 

S S MUSIC 
1C  S SOCKETS 
TOOLS  SUPPLIES 
BOOKS  MAGAZINES 


LAWNDALE 

BVTE  SHOP 

the  affordable  computer  store 

16508  HAWTHORNE  BLVD 
LAWNDALE,  CA  90260 
(213)  371-2421 

HRS:  TUE.-FRI.  12-8.  SAT  10-6 
BANKAMERICARD  * MASTERCHARGE  ♦ AMERICAN  EXPRESS 
CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  70 


TORRANCE 


MEET  THE  SORCERER  COMPUTER 

AT  THE 

SPECIAL  INTRODUCTORY  PRICE  $895 


STANDARD  FEATURES 

• Z80 

• 4K  OF  ROM  MEMORY 

• 8K  OF  RAM  MEMORY 

• DUAL  CASSETTE  I/O 

• 30  LINES  OF  64  CHARACTERS 

• 64  DEFINED  CHARACTERS  AND  64 
USER  DEFINED  CHARACTERS 

• 512  X 240  GRAPHIC  RESOLUTION 

• EDGE  CARD  CONNECTION 
TO  SI 00  BUS 

• SERIAL  AND  PARALLEL  I/O 


;JM4W{RiC*«3 


COMPUTER  MART 


OPTIONS 

• EXPANDABLE  TO  32K  RAM 

• 8-SL0T  SI 00  BUS 

• PRINTER 

• DISKSTORAGE 
•TELEPHONE 

• VOICE 

• HOME  CONTROLLER 


COMPUTER  MART 
OF  NEW  YORK 

118  Madison  Ave.  New  York,  NY  10016 
(212)  686-7923 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  78 


INTERFACE  AGE  119 


n 

IE 

u 

u 

Pin! 

—i 

— 

Ul 

uni 

LJl 

New  from  Echo 

A complete  line  of  polyester  films  (mylar), 
suited  for  the  majority  of  your  graphic  art,  draft- 
ing or  computerized  plotting  needs. 

Twelve  sizes  of  cut  sheets  in  stock.  Buy  one 
sheet  or  take  advantage  of  our  100  sheet  per 
size  discount.  Roll  stock  available  in  eight 
widths.  Choose  from  two  registration  punches: 
Graphic  punch  Yu"  slot,  Vi"  round,  Yu"  slot  on 
tenth  inch  centers.  Drafting  punch  Vi”  slot, 
Vi"  round,  maximum  spacing  30  inches.  Alumi- 
num registration  pins  with  poly  tabs  available 
for  either  type  of  punch  at  $1.00  per  pin. 

For  more  Information,  price  sheets  and 
samples  contact  Echo  Design  & Development 
Corp.,  195  E.  Gish  Rd.,  San  Jose,  CA  95112, 
(408)  292-0918. 

Readers  who  mailed  an  Inquiry  card  on  this 
new  product  from  the  February  1978  issue  are 
asked  to  resubmit,  as  all  inquiries  for  this  com- 
pany were  forwarded  to  the  wrong  address. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  128 

CCSA-Type  Switching  System 

The  Release  5,  a low-cost  option  of  the 
ROLM®  CBX  Business  Telephone  System  soft- 
ware, will  enable  small  and  medium  size  com- 
panies to  install  private  CCSA-type  switching 
systems. 


ROM's  network  uses  the  standard  7-digit 
numbering  plan  for  inter-office  calls  and  10- 
digits  for  off-net  calls;  it  can  be  retrofitted  into 
existing  CNX  installations. 

The  ROLM  CCSA  System  can  also  be  used 
for  regular  long  distance  traffic.  The  phone 
user  simply  dials  “9"  plus  the  number  desired, 
including  area  code.  ROLM  CX  Route  Optimi- 
zation takes  it  from  there.  Call  queuing  can  be 
used  for  making  off  or  on-net  calls. 

For  more  information  contact  ROLM  Corpor- 
ation, 4900  Old  Ironside  Dr.,  Santa  Clara,  CA 
95050,  (408)  988-2900. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  Ill 

Complementary  Transistors  Give 
High  Performance 

Eight  new  PNP  and  NPN  transistors  with 
80V  collector-emitter  voltages,  5A  continuous 
collector  currents  and  operating  frequencies 
to  70MHz,  provide  high-performance  in  power 
amplifier  and  switching  circuits. 


The  2N5003,  2N5005,  2N5151  and  2N5153 
PNP  transistors  have  100V  collector-base  volt- 
ages, 2A  continuous  base  currents  and  emitter- 
base  voltages  of  5.5V.  The  NPN  devices, 
2N5002,  2N5004,  2N5152  and  2N5154,  have 
similar  electrical  ratings  permitting  their  use  in 
complementary-pair  circuits. 

In  100-999  quantities,  prices  are:  2N5002, 
$13.00  each;  2N5003,  $15,00  each;  2N5004, 
$18.00  each;  2N5005,  $25.00  each;  2N5151, 
$7.00  each;  2N5152,  $4.25  each;  2N5153,  $8.00 
each  and  2N5154,  $5.00  each. 

For  more  information  contact  Solid  State 
Devices,  Inc.,  14830  Valley  View  Ave.,  La 
Mirada,  CA  90638,  (213)  921-9660. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  112 

Three-State  A/D  Converter 

Teledyne  Semiconductor  has  expanded  its 
line  of  monolithic  data  conversion  products 
with  the  addition  of  8,  10,  and  12  bit  A/D  con- 
verters with  three  state  binary  output. 


The  device  utilizes  low  power  CMOS  tech- 
nology and  is  fully  self  contained  in  a single 
24-pin  DIP  requiring  only  passive  support  com- 
ponents. Its  integrating  principle  of  operation 
gives  it  inherently  high  accuracy,  linearity  and 
noise  immunity.  Conversion  speed  is  1 to  20  ms. 

The  device  is  available  in  plastic  or  ceramic 
packages.  100  quantity  prices  for  the  8-bit  unit 
in  plastic,  $8.95;  10-bit  plastic,  $11.50  and 
12-bit  ceramic,  $25.00  Delivery  is  stock  to  four 
weeks.  For  more  information  contact  Teledyne 
Semiconductor,  15840  Ventura  Blvd.,  Encino, 
CA  91436,  (213)  986-8506. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  113 

Quay  80  FI 

The  Quay  80  FI  Is  a floppy  disk  system  for 
use  in  S-100  bus  computers.  The  Quay  80  FI 
system  includes  the  Q/80  FDC  (floppy  disk 
controller)  board  capable  of  supporting  up  to 
four  disks,  QDOS  disk  based  operating 
system,  the  Q/FD1  125  KB  5’/<"  band-driven 
disk  drive  with  power  regulator  and  interface 
cable,  and  the  Q/80  FC  floppy  disk  cabineL 


In  addition  to  the  floppy  disk  support,  the 
Q/FDC  has  available  a programmable  8-bit,  TTL 
compatible,  parallel  I/O  port  capable  of  suppor- 
ting standard  peripheral  devices  such  as  line 
printers,  tape  punches,  keyboards,  etc. 


Price  for  the  Quay  80  FI  system  is  $795. 
Add-on  drives  (Q/FD1)  are  $395  each.  Delivery 
is  30-60  days  ARO.  For  more  information  con- 
tact Quay  Corporation,  P.O.  Box  386,  Freehold, 
NJ  07228,  (201)  681-8700. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  114 

Selector  Switch 

The  Model  8544-D,  A,  B,  C,  D,  CRT  Selector 
Switch  allows  the  user  to  switch  any  2-wire  in- 
put to  any  one  of  four  2-wire  outputs.  All  con- 
nections are  made  at  the  rear  panel. 


In  application,  the  Model  8544-D  (Desktop) 
module  allows  the  user  to  manually  select  any 
one  of  four  CRT  displays.  The  unit  is  ideally 
suited  for  switching  the  IBM  3270  Interface  or 
any  2-wire  telephone  line. 

A four-position  rotary  switch  on  the  front 
panel  instantly  switches  any  2-wire  Input  from 
a rear  panel  BNC  labeled  Common  to  any  one 
of  four  BNC’s  lebeled  A to  D.  This  module  is 
available  for  desktop  switching  only,  and  no 
power  is  required. 

Th  Model  8544-D  is  priced  at  $160.  Delivery 
is  30  days  ARO.  For  more  information  contact 
Marketing  Dept.,  International  Data  Sciences, 
Inc.,  100  Nashua  St.,  Providence,  Rl  02904, 
(401)  274-5100. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  124 

Intelligent  Floppy  Disk  Controller 

The  IFC-8400  controller  will  control  up  to 
eight  SA400  or  SA800  Shugart  single-sided, 
single  density  flexible  disk  drives. 

The  IFC-8400  will  permit  interface  to  any 
computer  or  stand-alone  terminal  over  an  RS- 
232C  or  20  mA  current  loop  serial  channel  or 
optional  parallel  8-blt  TTL  I/O  channels. 


The  IFC-8400  also  includes  a IK  byte  RAM 
buffer  to  hold  data  being  transferred  between 
host  and  diskette.  Use  of  a buffer  RAM  larger 
than  a single  sector  size  allows  for  certain 
commands  to  be  implemented  more  efficiently 
than  with  a smaller  buffer.  This  decreases 
command  execution  times  by  decreasing  un- 
necessary head  movements. 

The  new  IFC-8400  is  priced  at  $795  and  Is 
available  immediately.  For  more  information 
and  quantity  pricing  contact  Cybernetic  Micro 
Systems,  2378A  Walsh  Ave.,  Santa  Clara,  CA 
95050,  (408)  249-9255. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  125 


120  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


s 

a 

O 

u. 


> 

z 

2 

s 

o 

0 

< 

5 

3 

3S 

h 

Z 

ID 

s 

1 


CO 

O O)  to 

S-5a 

2 o « 

WU.  D 

o 10 
TO  O c 
® «'  O 

(D  s 


CL  O K 

UJ  o n 

m 'x  “ 

»s 

7^3 
O ro  ~ 
!=c  -o  to 
H TO  -j 
CL  £ ^ 
— TO  c 

tr  o ~ 

O .o 


CO 


<u 

c 

N 

a 


o _ 


=»  $5  3 
t/J  wS 


o 

h- 

o 

o> 

< 

O 

V) 

jj  s 

2 O 

°<Qg 

Iju00 

2l=Jq 

3 'Col 

°-l2 
15  cE 
£ ku 
ol- 
<d  :=> 

JC  ■ — 

TO  --* 

5 


u 

> 

0 

s 

o 

H 

0 


z 

z 

« 

-I 

Q. 


s 

E 


c 

o 

$ 

D 

o 


o 
</> 

0) 
o 
c 

2 uj 

■So 
8< 
C L1- 

~ cc 

</)  LU 
•*  H 

a>  •? 

<i>  £ 

CO  O 
* ® 
g 3 
£.22 
{/)  0) 
5 cn 

c 


c S 
a>  3 
n </> 

S 

i3 

£ 

— 0) 

IA 

o>  n 

1 

jO 

ro  — ■ 

! 

TO 

o>  c 

TO 

c o 

n 

<5 

0 

eg 
»-  </) 

3 

0 

3 X) 
O 3 
>s  (/> 
0)  w 

c 

l 

6 S 

1 ° 

* 

c .£ 


Q O C 
Sr  <o  b 

^ < O si 

*?§! 
a>  -S  o c 

355s 

2 Q.S  3 
O 01  D O 
r-  o O >- 

o S >■« 

2 « ® e 

«i  **  r-  > oj 

in  < .=  a)  m 


£ 

2 

0 

c 

a 

> 

£ 

3 

0 

>> 


0) 

</> 

(0 

0) 

CL 


* 

0 

I 

CD 

</) 

/i 

£ 

•o 

V 

< 

i 

LJ 

Z 

4* 

c 

u 

OL 


0) 

> 

I 

< 

1 

3 

X 

£ 

« 


Q 

ID 

h 

Ui 


a 

c 

N 

(0 

M 

(0 


< s 

o 


kU 

IS 

_ ^ 
ft 

5 ■-> 

O l2 
o CE 

5 ■“ 

£!= 


O 

o 

cn 

00 

'c 

c 

nrS 

c3  ro 

r-  O 


co 


X 

m2 

q’S 

Q-  O 


FIRST  CLASS 
PERMIT  NO.  11 
CERRITOS,  CA 
90701 


BUSINESS  REPLY  MAIL 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  if  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


Postage  will  be  paid  by 


imcnrittLC  «3E  Magazine 

P.O.  Box  1234 
Cerritos,  CA  90701 


FIRST  CLASS 
PERMIT  NO.  11 
CERRITOS,  CA 
90701 


BUSINESS  REPLY  MAIL 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  il  Mailed  in  the  United  States 


Postage  will  be  paid  by 

iiuTErraLE  «5E  Magazine 

P.O.  Box  1234 
Cerritos,  CA  90701 


mmrn. 


VMM  I 


iTPoni^’ 


NORTH  STAR 
HORIZON 

48K  RAM 
Dual  Floppies 


CENTRONICS  779 

with  Tractor  Feed 


The  complete  integrated  system 
$5750 

All  four  Components 


OUR  VALUES  ARE  UNBEATABLE. 
We  guarantee  compatible 
components.  Before  you  buy  come  to 
our  store  for  “hands-on”  experience 
on  our  demonstrators.  Some  people 
may  try  to  save  a few  dollars  by 
buying  a piece  here  and  a piece  there. 
When  the  system  doesn’t  run  who  can 
they  turn  to? 


SOROC  IQ  120 

80  characters  x 
24  lines 
Numeric  Pad 


OUR  BUSINESS  MANAGEMENT  SYSTEM 
A complete  SOFTWARE  PACKAGE 


General  Ledger 
Payroll 

Accounts  Payable 
Accounts  Receivable 
Inventory  (Retail) 

'handled  simultaneously  and  interactive 


:^“es  If  tJ  ft  I HJUX 

*150  vendors 

*200  customers  M 

*700  items 

2008  WILSHIRE  BLVD.  SANTA  MONICA,  CA  90403  213-829-5137 


When  you  buy  a 
computer  system 
from 

MISSION  CONTROL 

you  get 
three  things: 


THE  BEST  VALUE 


'THE  RIGHT 
COMPONEN7 


iisism 


all  you  really  need 
in  a computer  system 


AND  THE 
SUPPORT  TO 
GET  IT  UP 
AND  RUNNING 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  B7 


INTERFACE  AGE  121 


Single  Chip  Microcomputer 
Has  On-Board  NMOS  AID  Converter 

The  8022  is  a low  cost,  general  purpose 
single-chip  microcomputer  containing  a lull 
analog-to-digital  (A/O)  converter.  Aimed  at  high 
volume  control  appliaitons,  the  microcomputer 
is  ideas  for  applications  such  as  home  appli- 
ances, test  and  measurement  instruments, 
automotive,  process  control,  environmental 
control,  sensingfrecording  instruments  and 
other  control  applications. 


The  8022  Is  software  compatible  with  other 
single-chip  microcomputers  In  the  MCS-48 
family  of  microcomputers  and  peripheral  com- 
ponents. Another  unique  feature  of  the  8022  is 
its  accurate  on-chip  oscillator,  which  can  be 
externally  synchronized  with  a crystal  or  a TTL- 
level  clock  signal. 

For  more  Information  contact  Intel  Corp., 
3065  Bowers  Ave.,  Santa  Clara,  CA  95051,  (408) 
249-8027,  Rob  Walker. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  117 

MOPS  Software  Packages  Enhances 
Debugging  Capabilities  of  COSMAC 

A new  software  package,  the  Micromonitor 
Operating  System  (MOPS)  CDP18S831,  pro- 
vides Micromonitor  users  with  enhanced  de- 
bugging techniques  ranging  from  simple  ter- 


minal-Micromonitor dialog  to  hands-off  system 
testing  with  commands  coming  from  disk  files. 


The  MOPS  CDP18S831  consits  of  a MOPS 
diskette  plus  a UART  module,  and  connecting 
cable  to  interface  the  Micromonitor  to  the 
CDS.  Literature  support  includes  the  Micro- 
monitor Operating  System  (MOPS)  CDP18S831 
Users'  Guide,  MPM-231,  which  describes  the 
installation  and  startup  of  MOPS,  the  specific 
commands  available  to  the  user  and  command 
usage. 

In  single  quantities,  the  RCA  COSMAC 
Micromonitor  Operating  System  is  priced  at 
$350  and  the  Micromonitor  at  $1600.  For  more 
information  contact  RCA  Solid  State  Div.,  Box 
3200,  Somerville,  NJ  08876,  (201)  685-6380, 
MOS  Product  Marketing. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  118 

Zilog  Z80  Compatible  DAC  Card 

Completely  compatible  with  the  Zilog  Z80 
microcomputer  board  this  digital  to  analog 
converter  card  offers  four  or  eight  channels  of 
conversion,  each  channel  having  12  bit  resolu- 
tion; less  than  0.5  bit  nonlinearity;  individual 
zero  and  full-scale  adjustments;  five  user 
selectable  output  voltage  levels;  optional  4-20 
ma  current  output;  memory  mapped  address 
selection;  and  double  buffering. 


The  Model  608  DAC  card  price  is  $595  for  4 
channels  and  $895  for  8 channels,  in  small  quan- 
tities. For  more  information  contact  Signal 
Laboratories,  Inc.,  202  N.  State  College  Blvd., 
Orange,  CA  92668,  (714)  634-1533,  Del  Flagg. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  126 

Two  New  Printer  Interfaces 

Sol  Hytype  I mounts  inside  any  Diablo 
Series  1200  Printer  connecting  it  directly  to  the 
back  of  the  Sol.  Similarly  the  Sol  Hytype  II 
Printer  Interface  works  with  the  Diablo  Series 
1300  Printer. 


The  installation  package  includes  the  fully 
assembled,  tested  and  burned-in  printed  cir- 


f i Apple  II  and  Centronics-an  unbeatable  pair. 


SAVE  $240.00  on 
Micropolis  Dual  Drive 
Disk  System! 


Business  Software 

for  MICROPOLIS  and  NORTH  STAR 
DISK  SYSTEMS 


includes: 

• Accounts  Payable  and  Receivable 

• Payroll  for  up  to  600  employees 

• General  Ledger 

• Inventory  control  handles  1400  items 

• Customer  Accounts  list  for  1200 

• Mailing  lists 

Delivered  on  diskette  with  full  documen- 
tation. 

ge  County  Location  Mo„a,y  Thu“utR?17 

• El  Camino  Plaza  ^nda'I  ” ‘® 

• (71/1)  Saturday  10  6 


122  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  71 


cuit  board,  software,  all  cables  and  mounting 
hardware.  No  modification  to  the  Sol  Is  neces- 
sary. No  holes  need  be  drilled  In  the  printer. 
The  printer  can  be  restored  to  its  original  con- 
dition if  required. 

Hytype  driver  software  is  Included  on  CUTS 
cassette  along  with  a source  listing.  The  user 
may  modify  the  driver  software  to  suite  a par- 
ticular application. 

Suggested  retail  price  for  both  the  Hytype  I 
and  Hytype  II  is  $150.  Delivery  is  stock  to  30 
days.  For  more  information  see  your  Sol  dealer 
ad  contact  Processor  Technology  Corp.,  7100 
Johnson  Industrial  Dr.,  Pleasanton,  CA  94566, 
(415)  829-2600. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  119 

16  Bit  Microprocessor  Family 

The  MCS-86™  Microprocessor  Family  is 
comprised  of  the  16-bit  8086  CPU  and  its  perl- 


Graphic/Text  Video  Interface 

Merlin  is  a combination  text  and  graphic 
video  display  board,  combining  functins  of  text 
display,  graphic  display  (320H  by  200V  resolu- 
tion), keyboard  input  port,  and  4K  bytes  of  on- 
board control  ROM. 


Merlin  displays  20  lines  of  easily  readable 
text  with  40  characters  per  line.  This  is  suitable 
for  text  editing,  BASIC  and  assembly  programs 
and  large  screen  classroom  use.  Both  upper 
and  lower  case  characters  can  be  displayed. 

The  Merlin  video  interface  provides  the  main 
console  I/O  in  a small  system,  or  can  be  the 
heart  of  a sophisticated  graphic  development 
system. 

Price  for  Merlin  assembled  and  tested  is 
under  $500.  In  kit  form  without  ROM  software 
price  is  less  than  $300.  For  more  information 
contact  Minlterm  Assoc.,  Inc.,  Dundee  Park, 
Andover,  MA  01810,  (617)  470-0525,  Dave  King. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  IIS 

Digital  Logic  Modules 

The  Wyle  line  of  digital  logic  includes  over 
200  modules  covering  all  types  of  logic  ele- 
ments. Available  on  the3V«"  x 4V4”  modules  are 
gates,  flip-flops,  decoders,  counters,  one  shots, 


Some  of  these  features  are  extended  ad- 
dressing capability  — up  to  one  million  bytes; 
16-bit  hardware  multiply/divide;  elaborate  str- 
ing handling  instructions;  dynamic  memory  re- 
location; reentrant  program  code,  position- 
independent  programs;  instruction  look  ahead. 

These  features,  while  providing  a new  archi- 
tecture, at  the  same  time  maintain  compatibil- 
ity with  the  8080  and  8085  microprocessor 
families.  For  more  information  contact  Intel 
Corp.,  3065  Bowers  Ave.,  Santa  Clara,  CA 
95051.  (408)  249-8027,  Rob  Walker, 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  130 

MCZ-1  Microcomputer  Implements 
New  Integrated  Terminal 

The  MCZ-1/60  consists  of  an  intelligent  ter- 
minal with  4K  bytes  of  RAM  expandable  to  52K 
bytes,  a general  purpose  computer  with  32K 
bytes  of  RAM  expandable  to  64K  bytes,  and  an 
integral  9-inch  CRT  — all  in  a single  desk-top 
unit.  Dual  rack-mounted  floppy  disk  drives  pro- 
vide 600K  bytes  of  on-line  program  and  data 
storage. 


Incorporating  Zllog's  own  Z80-CPU  micro- 
processor and  16K  dynamic  RAM  chips,  the 
MCZ-1160  sells  for  $6,990  in  single  quantities 
with  delivery  in  60  days.  The  system  is  also 
available  in  a version  with  desk-top  disk  drives, 
designated  MCZ-1/62.  For  more  Information 
contact  Zilog,  10340  Bubb  Rd.,  Cupertino,  CA 
95014,  (408)  446-4666,  Dave  West. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  127 


pheral  support  components,  development  soft- 
ware, and  design  development  aids.  Designed 
to  delivery  ten  times  the  performance  of  the 
8080,  the  8086  provides  features  never  before 
found  on  a microprocessor. 


line  drivers/receivers,  electronic  and  many  more. 


PME-1  improves 
your  PET  3 ways 


PET  is  a registered  TM  of 
Commodore  Business  Machines,  Inc. 


Now  an  expansion 
memory  board  for 
your  PET 

16K  ($550) 
24K  ($650) 
J 32K  ($750) 


• Mounts  easily  inside  your 
I PET  chassis 

• Uses  your  PET's  transformer 
without  degradation  of  your 
system 

• Full  6 month  limited 

(warranty 

• Full  manual  with  graphic 
display  memory  test 
that  shows  chip 
layout 

Dealer  Inquiries  Invited 
For  a complete  spec  sheet  write: 

COMPUTER  MART  SYSTEMS 

13  East  30th  Street 
New  York,  New  York  10016 
212-686-7923 


2-4  weeks  delivery 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  79 


INTERFACE  AGE  123 


Apple  II  is  at  The  Computer  Store 


The  Apple  ’ II,  today’s  most  popular  personal  computer,  is  at  The 
Computer  Store.  Along  with  the  latest  in  Apple  peripherals.  Like 
the  new  Disk™  II  floppy  disk  drive.  Or,  printer  and  communica- 
tions interfaces.  And,  the  latest  in  software  including  the  new 
Apple/ Dow  Jones  Stock  Quote  Reporter.  The  compact  Apple  II 
gives  you  48K  RAM  memory  with  full  color  graphics  and  high 
resolution  graphics.  It’s  the  most  powerful  computer  in  its  price 
range. 

At  1'he  Computer  Store,  we  have  more  than  ever  before  in 
microcomputers,  memories,  terminals  and  peripherals.  All  backed 
by  a technical  staff  and  a full  service  department.  Stop  in  today, 
you’ll  find  more  than  ever  before  at  The  Computer  Store. 


The  Computer  Store 

820  Broadway,  Santa  Monica,  California  90401  (213)  451-0713 
The  Original  Name  In  Personal  Computer  Stores 

Store  Hours:  Tbes.-Kri.,  Noon- 8pm,  Saturday,  I0um-6pm 
Located  two  blocks  nonh  of  the  Santa  Monica  Freeway  at  the  Lincoln  Blvd.  exit. 

Phone  and  nuul  orders  invited.  Bank American!/ Visa  and  Master  Charge  accepted. 

, CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  80 


sg5S^ 


ag£ 


New  York  City 
and 

Long  Island 


If  You  Want  Professional  Service 
In  A Casual  A tmosphere  - 
And  A Large  Variety  of  Equipment 


BUSINESS  APPLICATIONS 

General  Ledger,  Inventory,  Accounts  Payable,  Receivable,  Word  Processing 
GENERAL  APPLICATIONS 
Northstar  Mailing  Label  Program  . . . $45 
Northstar  Macro  Assembler  . . . $65 


STOCK  MARKET  PACKAGE  - (Unique) 

Makes  Ticker-Tape  Obsolete 
Send  $2.00  For  Descriptive  Brochure  And  Much  More 


BVTE  SHOP 

the  affordable  computer  store 


130  East  40th  Street 
New  York,  NY  10016 
(212)  889-4204 
(corner  Lexington  Ave.) 


2721  Hempstead  Turnpike 
Levittown,  NY  11756 
(516)  731-8116 
(Just  E.  of  Wantagh  Pkway.) 


11-7 Tues,  Thru  Fri 12  to  8 

10-5  Saturday  10  to  5 


Additional  modules  Include  relays,  test 
point  modules,  extender,  lamp,  toggle  switch 
and  a wide  variety  of  socket,  wire  wrap  and 
blank  modules.  Also  available  are  card  fiels 
and  card  drawers  for  rack  mount  or  custom  In- 
stallations, and  logic  power  supplies. 

For  additional  information  contact  Wyle 
Laboratories/Computer  Products,  3200 
Magruder  Blvd.,  Hampton,  VA  23666,  f804> 
838-0122. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  129 

Air  Velocity  Detector  Increases 
Reliability  of  Air  Cooled  Equipment 

The  Dietz  Model  AD  Air  Velocity  Detector 
will  indicate  air  flow  in  the  range  of  1 foot  per 
second  to  an  infinite  air  velocity.  It  can  be  used 
to  detect  the  lack  of  air  flow  in  air  cooled  elec- 
tronic equipment,  such  as  computers. 


provides  a sensitivity  to  air  flow  that  increases 
as  the  air  flow  diminishes,  is  immune  to  shock, 
vibration,  and  ambient  temperature  changes,  is 
low  cost,  and  of  small  physical  size. 

The  Model  AD  can  be  mounted  across  the 
face  of  the  blower,  requiring  only  an  additional 
%"  of  space.  For  additional  details  contact 
Henry  G.  Dietz  Co.,  Inc.,  14-26  28th  Ave.,  Long 
Island  City,  NY  11102,  (212)  726-3347,  Henry 
Dietz,  president. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  122 

Literature  on  Subminiature  Switches 

C&K  Components,  INc.,  is  now  offering  its 
latests  addition  to  its  line  of  consumer- 
oriented  literature.  SFC  678  includes  16  pages 
of  subminiature  and  microminiature  toggles, 
rockers,  pushbuttons  and  power  switches  from 
the  extensive  C&K  switch  line. 


Complete  with  model  numbers,  specifica- 
tions, P.C.  layours,  mounting  information  and 
prices,  this  catalog  will  fill  the  needs  of  every 
OEM  and  designer.  For  more  information  con- 
tact C&K  Components,  Inc.,  103  Morse  St., 
Watertown,  MA  02172,  (617)  926-0800. 

CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  121 


124  INTERFACE  AGE 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  72 


OCTOBER  1978 


30  MHZ  LOW  COST  FREQUENCY  COUNTER  KIT 


FaaturM: 

• Frequency  Range-  100H*  to  30MH*  min.,  resolution  100  Hi 

• All  TTL  Circultry-No  tear*  in  the  eye*  when  replacing  1C* 

• FET  Input  Stage-Offer*  high  input  imoedance 

• Htgh  Sensitivity- 15mV  typical 

• Xytal  Time  Bete-0.001%  IOMHi  foe  better  accuracy  'v 

• On  Board  Regulator-  No  external  power  supply  needed 

• All  1C*  Socketed  -Easy  to  aervice 

• Easy  to  Operate -No  twitche*  to  flip 

• Tin  Plated  & Screened  Board -For  easy  assembly 

KIT  INCLUDES:  Detailed  Instructions  (22  peoes).  All  parts  inclod 


Plastic  Molded  Instrument  Case  ^ 

H-2  7/16*  3 11/16'  W— 8’/  0-9  .*  I 
Idiustabie  he«jhi*  to  accommodate  ' 
nost  needs  Available  in  Ian  & gray.  iL  / 

Model  *CH-200  $1950 


Adjustable  hc*ghls  lo  accommodate 
mo»1  needs  Available  in  Ian  A gray 

Model  *CH-200  $1950 


I.C.  SOCKETS 

Lo-pro 

Wire  Wrap 

5 pcs  10  pcs 

100  pcs 

5 pcs  10  pc*  100  pcs 

6- pm 

060 

1 50 

1200 

1 90 

3SO 

32  00] 

14-pkn 

095 

1.75 

1500 

2.10 

390 

36  00 

16- pm 

V05 

200 

1700 

250 

420 

39  001 

18- pm 

1 40 

250 

23  00 

320 

600 

55  00 

20-pin 

1 GO 

310 

28  00 

3.50 

650 

60  00 

|22-p*n 

1 80 

340 

32  00 

3.75 

700 

65  00 

24-ptn 

165 

350 

33  00 

4 25 

800 

75  OOl 

?8-pm 

220 

4.20 

39  00 

4 75 

900 

85  00 

40-pm 

350 

620 

59  00 

650 

1200  100  00 

FREQUENCT  COUNTER 
LSI  CHIPS 

icw-To;  tin 

rCM770?  $1695 

6 5536  UH/ try  tel  S 425 

SAVE  MORI  CUT  THEM  AU 

for  moo 


TRIACS 

TIC 

TO&A 

3A 

I0OV 

80 

TIC 

**0 

3A 

200V 

SO 

TIC 

2060 

3A 

400V 

100 

TIC 

?1«A 

5A 

100V 

to 

TIC 

2168 

6A 

700V 

1 05 

TIC 

2ISO 

•A 

400V 

125 

TIC 

2MB 

»JA 

700V 

1 40 

TIC 

7360 

I2A 

400V 

I TO 

TIC 

■ M 

20A 

4COV 

7SO 

TIC 

2530 

70A 

40OV 

795 

1 TIC 

253C 

?OA 

600V 

355 

TIC 

2530 

25A 

700V 

310 

TIC 

2*30 

25A 

40OV 

3 TO 

i TIC 

2536 

754 

600V 

475 

POWER  TRANSISTORS 

MATCHED  PAIR 

MOTOROLA  M it  2955  PHP 

MJE3055  NPN 

10  AMP  60  VOtl  90  WATTS 
S2.2S  PER  PAIR 


MINIATURE 
TOGGLE  SWITCH 


roi  $i»  u 
oroi  si  50  m 


or  LE  D.  lamps 

Red 

15« 

100/1000 

Green 

204 

100/1500 

YeOom 

20* 

100/1500 

Amber 

204 

100/1500 

LED. 

Displays 

ENO  503 

C.C 

05" 

754 

ENO  510 

CA 

05- 

75* 

1720R 

CA 

r 

475 

1723R 

CC. 

r 

4 75 

JUMBO  LED  READOUT  ARRAY 

• 1 00  Inch  High  Characters 

• Common  Cathode  Connections  IT  1012 

• 3b  OigNs  with  Colons  $7.50 

• Independent  Segments 


DIP  PLUGS 

5 pcs  10  pcs  100  pea 
1 4-pin  325  600  55* 

16-pm  3 50  6 50  60  00 

(40-pm  950  1600  150  00 


AUOTBLE  TRANSDUCERS 

Manufactured  by  GUI  TON  iNOUS 
T PIES'  for  producing  UMxJ 
AM*  a very  timgto  on#  Tutor  cd 
Meal  lor  tacit  deleclor  A morse 
cede  gtaclrcer  SITS  m >0  $1400 


Wire  Wrap  Wire 
Special  Purchase 
500  tt.  roll  @5.00 
While  only 


ERIE  MINI 

CERAMIC  TRIMMER  CAP 

10  - 40p/F  10/54.50 


SPECIAL  OF  THE 

MONTH 

AN2I44  5A  Power  1C  mth  spec 

1295  as 

MM0Q26  5MH/  Dock  Dover 

1195  ea 

14- pm  Lo  pro  1C  Socket 

100/11600 

16  pm  Lo  pro  1C  Socket 

100/117  00 

PC  Mount  Itormer.  24V  45A 

SI  95  ea 

1.0001  uF  50V  cap  Anal  lead 

11  00  ea 

C60  Ogrtai  Cassette  Tape 

11  50  ea 

transformer  (case  not  available). 


Instrument  Case  lor  tot 

H-2'r*  W-6  1/16"  0-6V 
Ideal  lor  many  smaller  projects. 
Similar  to  CH-200  less  handle. 
CM-6-225  S9.40 


COMPARE 
I and 
* SAVE! 


2-20V  ADJ.  POWER  SUPPLY 

Kit  fflaUDES  InMlonw.  PC  Board. 
Large  heal  unk.  Large  Mering  eapac 
•tor  and  ai  (he  parts  Mh  detailed 
instruction  ur.iasa  $12.95 


6-DIGIT  AUTO  CLOCK  KIT  WITH  ALARM 

Femur** 

A.  f *-ich.«d  0.5"  F NO  SOO  C twtebaw 

Se***s  O.aprev  0.  F C ioerd*.  ipMker,  *C'i  ...  __ 

■ Chtpiev  Boerd  me*  tw  and  mil  rwtt  51  if. 9 b 

r*mo»*  i-  0*»e*ied  InMrucitem  air  m r-itm 


HAMMOND  BREADBOARD  KIT 

BIMBOAKD  I 59.95  ea. 

Accepts  DIP  packages  without  adaptors  or 
damaging  component  leads 
Contacts  are  double  s*ded.  neckel  stiver 
current  carrying  capacity  ol  1 Amp  with  less 
than  10  mHliohms  corned  resistance  Cj*  . 

Total  ol  550  sockets  identiliod  by  a letter  and  / 

number  main*  (or  recording  experiments  S' 

Buss  strip  seebon  runs  up  each  s*de  ol  i 
board 

Component  bracket  (included  with  each 
board)  will  fit  on  any  o»  the  tour  edges  or 
down  the  center 


BIMBOARD  2 

> Bimboards  and  2 component  brackets  * 
1 Aluminum  base  wilh  4 insulated  T ernunals 


BIMBOARD  3 

3 Bimboards  and  3 component  brackets 
1 Aluminum  base  wilh  4 insulated  terminals 


FIM.LV  CNCOOCD  fa-key 

keyboard 

manufactured  by  Micro  Sw*ch  for 

Honeywell  (Lmited  Oty  1 

S 50  OOea 

PRECUT  WIRE  WRAP  WIRE 

A 30  Kynat  in  ted.  orange, 
blue,  yellow,  [teen,  black,  white. 
Pie-sliipped  both  end 
too  soo  moo  sooo 

2,-v  m. 

78 

240 

4 30/K 

3.89/K 

3 in. 

62 

260 

4.71/K 

4.22/K 

3*6  in. 

66 

260 

512/K 

4.55/K 

4 in. 

90 

300 

5 52>K 

4 88  K 

4*4  tn. 

94 

3.21 

5 93/K 

5^1/K 

5 in 

96 

342 

6 34  K 

5.52/K 

5’4  in. 

1 02 

365 

6.75/K 

5. 06 

Bin. 

106 

365 

7.16/K 

6.19/K 

6'4  rn. 

1.15 

405 

757/K 

6S2/K 

1 7 in. 

1 20 

425 

796/K 

6 85  K 

‘7'0  in. 

1 25 

445 

8 39/K 

7.18/K 

8 in. 

1 29 

465 

660/K 

7.53/K 

8'4  in. 

1 32 

465 

921  IK 

7 84/K 

9m 

1 36 

505 

962/K 

817/K 

9'4  in 

1 40 

525 

10C3/K 

850K 

10  in 

1 45 

5 51 

1044/K 

8 83  K 

Add) 

In  10 

41 

82K 

6AK 

TINE  BASE  MINI  KIT 

Includes  MM5369  I C. 
3 5795  MHz  X ytal 
Trimmer  Cap. 
$3.45 


WIRE-WRAP  TOOLS 
Hobby  Wrap  • 30 
Hobby  Wrap-  BW-630 
Battery  Up.  (lessbett.) 
$30.95 


SWITCHING  OIODES  IN4148 
10  lor  U.50 
50  tor  2 00 
100  lor  3.50 


THE  KIM-1  MICROCOMPUTER  SYSTEM 

• 650?  8 M MPEJ  with  powerW  instruction  set  13  address*!  model  mu«iple  mier- 
reps.  M 65K  byte  address  range 

• ?MCS  6530  chips  mcN  wen  1024  bytes  ot  ROM.  64K  bytes  U RAM.  15 1/0  pmi  and  a* 
interval  timer 

• the  KIM  i «en*x  and  opnatm<  procram  are  stored  permanencty  m the  1048  ROM 
bytes  provided 

• Comes  with  seyOoatd  and  aip*»r  ..meric  display 

• TTY  and  cassette  interface 

• CompMefy  assembled  and  teslnl  and  documented 

• Include*  KIM  1 user  manoel.  6500  program***!  mam*  and  6500  hardware  manual 

ALL  THESE  TON  JUST  123500 


TRimco 

2795-L  West  Lincoln  Ave. 
Anaheim.  CA  92801 
(714)  821-0234 

Minimum  order  $5  00.  Please  add  $2  00  postage 
and  handling  for  out  of  States.  $1.00  inside  Cali- 
fornia plus  Tax.  CO  D.  orders  welcome  (Min 
Order  $20.00) 

Store  Hours  10  * 7.  Mon.  - Sat. 

VISA  MASTERCHARGE 


VHF  Modulator 

For  TV  Game  or  Computer 
Modulates  Video  Input  te  a Rf 
output  |ch.  3| 

Supply  voltage  5V 
14  50  ea. 


3815 

5-0ECA0E  COUNTER 

The  3815  is  a 5 Dec** 
Counter  ehicti  includes  a 
memory  mth  state  latches  tor 
each  ccunlef  dipt  and  an  owl 
pul  mulbplrxer  Ike  3815  a 
druped  to  dme  a multipleied 
display  eluch  has  i Binary 
Ceded  Decimal  output  and  live 
decoded  outputs  to  strobe  the 
disptoy 

With  SpKifeJtaon  15  00  ea 


Car  Battery  Eliminator 

KIT  INCLUDES.  Transformer. 

PC  Board.  Large  he* 
sink,  Larop  filtering  capacitor 
KIIN700  516.95 


KEPCO  Ferrgresonanl  power  supply. 

LAMBDA  Precision  Power  Supply 

Input  110V  3A 

Factory  f*»ice  1206 

Modal  LXS-EE  50V 

Output  24V  8A 

Our  Price  S60 

5V  45A  Factory  Price  S600 

Our  Price  S100 

hu m aM  IS  00  «tbi  pestif*  to  ttet*  itowt 

KIM  SUPPORT 

CIO 

too 

6507 

1195 

6520 

1000 

657? 

$25 

65  JO 

1595 

6530002 

1SK 

65)0001 

1596 

65)0006 

1695 

(5)0005 

1595 

Z-80  CPU  BOARD/KIT 

On  board  2706  EPROM  addressable  to  any 
4K  boundary  above  32K  Power -on-/ump  to 
any  4K  boundary  above  32K.  or  the  on  board 
2706  On  board  run-stop  flip-flop  and 
optional  generation  of  Memory  Write  allow 
front  panel-less  operation 

BARt  BOARD  534.00 

SIM-W  (WM  $145.00  (tWIll 

mimiD  t runt  uo  isooo 


8080  A CPU  BOARD/KIT 

With  8 levef  vector  interrupt  CPU  chip  8080  dock 
chip  8224;  crystal  Fieq  I8MH;  wclor  mlMnipl 
chip.  8214 

BARE  B0AR0  $28.50  KIT  195.00 
Assembled  and  Tested  1145  00 


REAL  TIME  CLOCK 
FOR  S-lOO  BUSS 

On  boars  imhi  crystal  Oscillator,  two 
independent  interrupts  16  bn  counter  in 
10  s steps,  and  decade  steps  from  100  s 
to  10  sec  KMin  lw-Wrt4|t||H 

BARE  BOARD  $24.00  it"* 


16K  STATIC  RAM  KIT  1375 

BOARD  124  00  ASSEMBIE/TEST  $425  00 


32K  STATIC  RAM 
BARE  BOARO  $35.00 
KIT  ASSEMBIE/TESTEO 

250ns  $79500  187500 

450ns  162500  1775.00 


2708/2716  FPROM  KIT  $5995 
Special  Kit  With  8ea 
2708  s $129.95 

Bare  Board  $30  00 


ULTRAVIOLET  E 

Erase  up  to  48  ICs  each  time 
$49.50 


OCTOBER  1978 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  93 


INTERFACE  AGE  125 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


INTRODUCTION 

to  the 


TEX  AND  REAL  APPLICATIONS 

Now  you’ll  see  some  examples  from  a system  for 
physical  mail  (electronic  mail  is  interconnected,  but  not 
shown  here).  Many  readers  will  find  it  useful  to  study  the 
programs  for  the  algorithms,  if  not  for  TEX.  Their  chal- 
lenge is  to  write  the  same  programs  in  BASIC  or  any 
other  language,  for  comparison  with  these  TEX  pro- 
grams for  the  same  procedures.  I’ll  guarantee  that  TEX 
is  much  easier  and  shorter! 

The  mail  system  has  these  parts  (individual  programs): 

•Creating  the  name/address  file. 

•Updating  the  name/address  file. 

•Adding  or  changing  indication  of  membership  on  a 
specific  mailing  list. 

•Displaying  a mailing  list,  on  a cover  sheet  or  as  labels. 

•Archiving  the  various  source  lists;  that  is,  making  an 
integrated  set  of  permanent  copies. 

The  original  database  is  the  telephone  directory.  People 
working  for  a company  often  consider  the  accuracy  of 
their  entry  in  it  to  have  priority  second  only  to  payroll.  To 
understand  the  programs  to  be  explained  here,  the  data- 
base format  needs  to  be  known.  It  is  a linear/sequential 
file  of  entries  of  this  form: 


surname,  (given)  ft  tel-no  ft  org.  U address  tt  room  ft  bldg 

The  entries  are  of  variable  length,  "address”  is  a 4-char- 
acter mail-station  here,  but  it  could  be  a full  address  just 
as  easily.  “#”  is  used  to  represent  visibly  the  Horizontal 
Tab  character.  It  gets  replaced  automatically  in  all  dis- 
play programs. 

LINE  PRINTER  DISPLAY  OF 
THE  TELEPHONE  BOOK 

First  let’s  look  at  a program  called  “alphatel”,  which 
is  the  proofing  run  before  photocomposition  of  the 
telephone  book  (directory). 


{alphatel  clear  * restart=0  a 

{restartO  out:""alphatel ' has  restart  capability.”  b 

f i lename- ’telbook,q"  call  texlib/old  if  fail  call  ouch  c 
out:*lf,"Have  the  file."  rs:"#";*:*ht  b out:"Tabs  in."  d 
call  texlib/datehead  b ib:*c l:".pape  65”  e 

i:»cl:".repl  ""  i:*cl:".tabu  27,37,55,61,69"  f 

f i lename="sink"  call  texlib/resa  restarts  9 

out: "Restart 1 passed.  Now  you  can,  in  case  of”  h 

out:"any  failure,  restart  at  the  last  restart"  i 

out:"passed  by  entering  'call  alphatel ‘.restart 1 ."  j 

goto  Inostartl  k 

Irestartl  fi  lename-'sink"  call  texlib/old  f:".tab"  l 

Inostartl  1:*cl:"*hd"  i:*cl:". space"  i :*c l:". space"  m 

call  separate  call  widow  n 

out:"Widowing  operation  coaplete",*lf  o 

b r:"*hd";»  p 

Organization/  Mail  q 

•break  r 

Name  Phone  Component  Sta.  Room  Bldg.  s 

.break  t 

u 

•space  v 

*nu  U w 

b out:"Restart2  (paging)  passed."  call  texlib/resa  x 

restart=2  goto  !nostart2  y 

!restart2  fi  lenai»e="sink"  call  texlib/old  z 

!nostart2  call  texlib/formsink  which="a"  name="sink"  aa 

id-'(my-IO)"  bi ll=" (my-charge)"  bb 

call  texlib/print Ihowmany  nosubs  return  cc 

{restart  subs  $ dd 

goto  !restart*restart$  ee 


Figure  1.  The  program  “alphatel” 


In  Figure  1,  the  lines  of  “alphatel”  to  be  explained  are 
keyed  to  letters  on  the  right: 

b Programs  that  use  a fair  amount  of  computer  time 
should  have  restart  capability,  so  that  not  all  of  the 
work  is  lost  in  case  of  a failure.  The  user  of  this 
program  is  advised  that  it  is  restartable. 

c At  the  terminal  we  would  just  say  “old  telbook”  to 
get  that  file.  If  it  was  busy,  or  had  a password  we 


126  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


Part  Three 

TEX  Language 

By  Robert  W.  Berner 


did  not  provide,  a message  to  that  effect  would  be 
displayed.  Manual  correction  action  could  be  taken. 
In  executive  files  such  actions  must  be  automatic. 
So  we  set  the  content  of  the  variable  “filename”  to 
be  the  name  of  the  wanted  file,  and  call  a program 
named  "old”.  But  this  isn’t  one  of  our  personal  files. 
It  belongs  to  another  (but  synthetic)  user  called  "tex- 
lib”.  All  of  its  programs  constitute  a library  of  service 
routines  and  general  applications,  “old”  contains: 

subs  | if  filenaroe:eqs:*null  goto  !fail 
ergo  Ifail  old  |filenaroe| 
faU  = 'f'  |*svmd|  return 
.'fail  faii='t'  |*svmd|  return 

The  error  forms  for  “goto”  and  “call"  verbs  are 
“ergoto”  (or  “ergo”)  and  “ercall”  (or  “erca”).  They 
are  obeyed  only  if  anything  following  them  (on  the 
same  line)  fails.  This  permits  “failsoft”  operation 
and  recovery  from  failures.  In  this  case  a failure  to 
get  the  requested  file  sets  the  variable  "fail”  to 
“t",  and  returns. 

A comma  and  the  letter  “q”,  for  “query”,  follow 
the  name  of  the  wanted  file.  This  gets  us  a snap- 
shot copy  of  the  file  even  if  someone  else  is  then 
changing  it.  If  even  this  should  somehow  fail, 
"ouch”  is  called  to  repair  the  situation. 

d In  any  lengthy  process,  it’s  sensible  to  advise  the 
user  (even  yourself)  how  it  is  going.  All  "#”  charac- 
ters are  replaced  by  Horizontal  Tab: 

“rs:”  means  replace  the  string 

means  do  it  the  following  number  of  times 
means  all 

means  with  the  character  following 

When  the  process  reaches  end-of-file,  "b”  means 
back  up  to  the  beginning.  After  this  is  done,  another 
advisory  message. 

e The  library  program  “datehead”  prefaces  the  cur- 
rent file  with  a message  “This  display  requested 
by  (your  name)  on  (the  date)  at  (the  time)”.  It’s 
always  useful  to  do  this,  to  distinguish  among 
several  versions  or  runs,  “ib”  stands  for  "insert 

OCTOBER  1978 


before”  (the  current  line)  a line  that  has  the  con- 
tent enclosed  in  the  delimiters, 
f After  that  line  (but  still  before  the  first  current 
line),  two  more  lines  are  inserted.  One  tells  the 
formatting  program  to  replace  all  characters  "A" 
with  incompressible  spaces;  the  next  gives  the  tab 
stop  positions. 

g Now  the  content  of  "filename”  is  changed  to 
“sink”,  which  is  where  we  wish  to  keep  the  in- 
termediate results  of  our  process.  The  library  pro- 
gram “resa”  (for  resave)  puts  the  current  file  into 
"sink”,  and  the  variable  “restart”  is  set  to  1. 
h Now  we  can  tell  the  user  that  he  can  restart,  and 
how  to  do  it.  Suppose  something  goes  wrong  just 
after  this  point.  Per  instructions  the  user  would 
enter  “call  alphatel! restart”, 
dd  The  program  would  recommence  execution  at  the 
label  “restart”,  which  sets  the  substitution  (subs) 
mode  with  the  $ sign.  We  can’t  continue  on  this  same 
line  because  all  substitution  in  a line  is  done  before 
any  execution  of  the  line  begins.  So  the  subs  mode 
must  always  be  set  one  line  prior  to  its  usage, 
ee  Now  the  value  of  “restart"  gets  substituted,  and  in 
this  case  we  go  to  line  "I”, 
k Line  “I"  is  skipped,  and  control  is  at  line  "m”. 

I If  we  had  to  restart,  the  correct  file  position  is 

located  by  finding  the  line  starting  with  “.tab”, 
m Three  lines  are  inserted.  One  is  a dummy  to  stand 
for  the  eventual  heading,  and  two  cause  spaces  in 
the  display  program. 

n “separate"  separates  the  last  name  starting  with 
"A”  from  the  first  starting  with  “B”,  etc.,  and  puts 
the  starting  letters  in  the  gaps,  "widow”  does  the 
paging,  ensuring  at  the  same  time  that  no  new  initial 
letter  group  starts  unless  there  are  at  least  three 
entries  in  that  group  before  a new  page  begins, 
o Another  “we're  still  here  and  working"  message, 
p The  dummy  heading  "*hd"  is  replaced  by  the  real 
one,  which  is  specified  in  lines  "p”  through 
“v”.  The  ".break”  commands  force  new  lines, 
u This  yields  a continuous  underline  in  photo- 
composition. 

INTERFACE  AGE  127 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


w This  simulates  the  extra  Return  to  show  that  the 
replacement  is  complete. 

x Back  to  beginning  of  file,  which  is  put  into  “sink” 
in  the  new  and  modified  form, 
y The  restart  count  is  bumped  up,  and  control  goes 
to  line  "aa”. 

aa  “formsink”  automatically  formats  the  file  and  puts 
it  in  "sink”.  The  ASCII  line  printer  routine  is  set  by 
“a”,  and  the  file  to  print  is  identified, 
bb  “id”  specifies  whose  file  "sink",  and  “bill"  is  for 
timesharing  charges. 

cc  The  only  variable  left  unspecified  is  “howmany", 
so  the  “print”  program  is  called  at  that  entry  point. 
After  that  starts,  the  subs  mode  is  turned  off,  and 
the  program  ends. 

MAKING  THE  ORIGINAL  MAIL  CONTROL  FILE 

The  goal  is  to  create  a new  file  (called  “telmail”)  by  ex- 
tracting the  name  and  address  from  each  line  entry.  On- 
ly programs  (not  people)  access  this  file  for  modifica- 
tion, so  the  "#”  character  is  unnecessary.  The  file  entry 
format  is: 

name  HT  address\.1 .16.5.23.38.14. 

This  means  that  this  individual’s  name  occurs  on 
special  mailing  lists  1,  16,  5,  23,  38,  and  14.  The  periods 
delimit  the  list  numbers  uniquely.  But  this  is  after 
"telmail"  has  been  processed  many  times.  The  original 
format  is: 

name  HT  address\. 


Figure  2 is  the  program  that  builds  “telmail”  originally. 


inakeaail  out: *lf, "Starting  'makemail1  at  ",*ti*e,*lf  a 
clear  * call  ‘.setup  ht=*ht  call  Ifixup  b 

inameit  ib:*cl:("This  file  created  ",*date)  |official|  c 
‘.name it_aga in  |suffix|  d 
fi  lename=s  ink  name  |make_newjelse  | goto  !nameit__again  e 
| exi  tl  | f 
out:M*"/sinkna(l»e/,,  contain  name  and  address"  |exit2|  g 

! fixup  f i lena*e=”telbook,q"  | ge t i 1 1 h 

out:"Have  the  file"  d:"**"";*  b i 
Jlineloop  ro:"#";3:*rs  scan:*cl:*r$  j 
r:*c l: (*l •>"#",ht/*r,>"#","\.M)  f;1  |eof|  k 
goto  Jlineloop  l 

! setup  cant=\b  out: "Can’t  find  ",_name  goto  !match\  ■ 
bump=\count=count+1  nai»e="n",count\  t=\in:"List  number\  n 
what_no=t,\is?  " tag=*in  if  (*in>“*n) :ne:*lin  gotoN  o 
of f icial=\out:"For  the  official  ‘telmail1,  just  CR"\  p 
t=\in:"Else  what  suffix?  " sinkname=*userid,"/telmai l"\  q 
suff ix=t,\,*in  if  *lin:eq:0  sinknaoe="the/telmai l"\  r 
exit2=\nocase  nosubs  out:*lf,"Done  at  ",*time  return\  s 
exit1*\if  fail  out:*lf,"No  action  is  taken. "\,exit2  t 
if_yes=\if  *in*31 :eqs:"V"  \ u 
retrya\in:"Try  another  suffix?  " \,if__yes  v 
ta\if  fail  out:"A  file  ‘’^sinkname,"*  \ w 
doesnt=t,\does  not  exist."  \ does=t,\already  exists."  \ x 
get_it=\call  texlib/old  \ »ake_new=\call  texlib/save  \ y 
ge  t_i  t_e  Is  e=ge  t i t , does  nt , re  t ry  2 
make_new__else=make  new, does, retry  aa 
null_cf=Ycall  texlTb/new\  put_away=\cal l texlib/resa\  bb 
eof=\if  *eof  b return\  case  subs  | return  cc 


Figure  2.  The  program  "makemail” 


In  explanation  of  Figure  2: 

b The  subprogram  “setup”  (lines  “m”  through  “c") 
defines  variables  to  have  certain  procedures  as 
content.  Used  by  most  of  the  component  pro- 
grams in  the  mail  system,  they  are  explained  as 
encountered.  They  compact  the  programs  and 
make  them  easier  to  read  and  to  understand. 

The  variable  "ht”  is  defined  to  be  the  Horizontal 
Tab  character.  The  program  is  called  at  the  label 
“fixup”. 

h “telbook”  is  gotten  as  the  current  file,  again  on  a 
snapshot  basis,  “get it”  is  a procedure.  Fora  dif- 
ferent computer  we  would  redefine  “get it"  to  be 

the  corresponding  procedure.  Thus  the  kernel  of 
the  mail  program  is  portable, 
i After  a “working”  message,  all  lines  starting  “AAA” 
are  deleted.  They  are  the  redundant  entries  for 
secretaries  listed  following  the  people  they  work 
with.  Back  to  beginning  of  file, 
j A loop  operating  on  ail  remaining  lines,  "ro” 
means  “replace  occurrence".  So  the  third  occur- 
rence of  the  "#”  character  is  replaced  by  a Record 
Separator  character.  The  current  line  is  then  scanned 
on  that  character. 

k Both  left  and  right  parts  are  kept  only  as  far  as  the 
first  "#”  encountered,  and  adjoined  by  the  content 
of  “ht”,  which  was  a HT  character.  The  two  charac- 
ters “\.”  are  placed  at  string  end,  and  the  entire 
string  replaces  the  original  line.  The  pointer  is 
moved  to  the  following  line.  If  an  end-of-file  signal 
is  received,  the  process  returns  to  line  “c”. 

I Else  it’s  repeated  until  the  entire  file  is  converted, 

c For  the  record,  an  identifying  line  is  inserted  auto- 

matically at  the  beginning  of  file.  Then  the  user  is 
asked  if  it’s  the  official  telmail  file  he’s  making, 
d If  he  replies  with  just  a CR  to  "Else  what  suffix?”, 
it  will  be  the  official  file.  Else  it  will  be  a personal 
copy  for  private  purposes.  E.g.,  for  a list  of  the 
rockhounds,  or  equestrians.  That  file  name  is  the 
contant  of  “sinkname”. 

e The  file  this  program  will  make  should  not  exist 
yet.  So  an  attempt  to  create  it  is  made.  If  it  fails,  a 
message  says  that  a file  of  that  name  already  ex- 
ists, and  would  you  like  to  change  your  mind  about 
the  suffix? 

f If  the  user  gives  up,  the  creation  attempt  was  still 
a failure,  and  the  program  closes  by  saying  that  no 
action  was  taken. 

g With  success,  we  are  so  notified,  and  the  process 
is  wrapped  up  and  complete. 

UPDATING  THE  MAIL  CONTROL  FILE 

People  leave,  and  new  people  come.  Those  still  there 
get  transferred  or  moved  to  new  offices.  And  so  the  con- 
tent of  the  telephone  directory  changes  — particularly 
the  address  (mail  station  in  this  case).  Periodic  updates 
of  two  types  are  desirable: 

•Frequent  microfiche  copies,  or  online  interrogation, 
for  the  switchboard  operator. 

•Less  frequent  photocomposed  and  published  copies 
for  all  employees. 

The  programs  of  this  article  were  motivated  in  part  by 
failures  to  get  mailing  lists  changed  or  corrected  by 
human  procedures,  often  even  after  two  years.  And 
when  I converted  the  old  punch  card  system  for  the  tele- 
phone directory,  the  process  turned  up  six  deceased,  a 
woman  who  had  left  four  years  ago  for  motherhood,  and 
a fictitious  "Fred  Fortran”  in  Manufacturing! 


128  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


Figure  3 shows  the  program  "update",  which  updates 
the  file  “telmail"  for  currency  and  correct  address  con- 
tent, while  preserving  the  existing  mailing  list  mem- 
bership data. 


[update  out:*lf,"Starting  'update'  at  ”,*time,*lf  a 
clear  * call  isetup  |official|  b 
!update_again  |suftix|  c 
ht=*ht,*us  call  '.fixup  d 
fitename=*;sinkname  |get_it_else|  goto  !update_aga in  e 
/exitll  f 
out:"Have  both  files"  sort  *;*: (A25)  (A1 ) g 
out:"These  names  are  new,  in  case  you"  h 
out:"  wish  to  add  them  to  any  list.",»lf  f;1  i 
call  ! just  1 b rs:ht;*:*ht  f i lename=s inkname  |put  awayl  j 
call  llistold  out: ,sinkname,"’  updated"  |exit7|  k 

ljusti  | eof | l 
scan:*cl:ht  if  *lm:eq:0  cut;1  goto  ljusti  m 
inew  nname=*l  f;1  scan:*cl:ht  n 
if  *lm:ne:0  out:nname  goto  Inew  0 
if  nname:eqs:*l  scan:*r:"\."  d b;1  a:*r  f;1  goto  ljusti  p 
cut;1  out:nname  goto  ljusti  q 

llistold  |null_cf|  b paste  b a;*:"|"  b cuts:"\.|";*  b r 
out:"These  names  are  no  longer  valid."  s 
out:"  Rerun  indicated  lists  to  remove  them.",*lf  t 
p;»  paste  return  u 


Figure  3.  The  program  “update” 


In  explanation  of  Figure  3: 

b With  line  “c”,  the  same  procedures  used  in  mak- 
ing the  original  telmail  file. 

d Now  the  same  creation  process  (“fixup”)  is  ap- 
plied, except  that  this  time  the  variable  “ht”  has 
the  extra  Unit  Separator  in  it. 
e The  filename  is  defined  to  adjoin  the  new  file  just 
made  with  the  old  file.  We  wish  to  transfer  the 
mailing  list  identifications  from  the  old  file  to  the 
new,  scrapping  the  old  entries.  Again,  existence  is 
controlled  by  the  procedures.  If  we  wish  to  give  up, 
that  happens  via  the  “exitl"  procedure  in  line  “f”. 
g A “working”  notice.  The  sort  procedure  is  called. 
The  Unit  Separator,  as  a control  character,  collates 
low  to  any  graphic.  Thus  when  the  same  person 
appears  in  both  new  and  old  files,  the  new  entry 
precedes  when  the  two  files  are  sorted  together. 

The  sort  verb  reads  "Sort  the  current  file  (*)  into 
the  current  file  (i.e.,  in  situ);  an  alphabetic  field  of 
the  first  25  characters  is  defined  as  the  first  sort 
key;  sort  ascending  (A)  on  the  first  field”, 
h With  line  “i",  a signal  that  there  may  be  names  in  the 
telephone  directory  now  that  weren’t  in  there  before, 
j The  subprogram  “justl”  is  called  to  ensure  that 
double  entries  have  the  information  transferred  to 
the  new  entry,  and  to  delete  old  entries  without  a 
corresponding  new. 

I If  end-of-file,  return. 

m Scan  for  “ht”,  which  still  contains  the  Unit  Separa- 
tor. If  the  length  of  'middle  is  zero,  we  didn’t  find 
it,  so  the  line  is  an  OLD  entry.  In  that  case  we  cut  it 
from  the  file  (it  is  added  to  a separate  “cut”  file, 
and  thus  deleted  from  the  current  file)  and  go  back 
to  try  the  next  line  for  a new  entry, 
n If  we  get  here  we  have  a NEW  entry,  “nname”  is 
the  new  name.  The  next  line  is  inspected  to  see  if 
it  is  a matching  OLD  entry. 

o If  “ht”  is  found  it’s  a NEW,  not  OLD,  entry.  So  the 
previous  entry  was  a new  listing  in  the  phone 
book,  and  “nname"  is  printed  out  according  to  the 


cover  message  of  lines  “h”  and  “i”.  Back  to  try 
again  for  a pair. 

p Now  there  is  a NEW-OLD  pair.  Do  they  match?  If  so, 
the  tag  information  is  picked  up  from  the  OLD  entry 
as  *r.  The  OLD  entry  is  deleted;  a backup  of  one  line 
points  to  the  NEW  entry.  “a:*r”  means  put  *r  after 
the  text  of  the  current  line.  That  entry  is  now  fixed, 
and  we  go  to  the  next  line  to  repeat  the  process, 
q If  we  get  here,  it’s  a peculiar  coincidence  that  a 
new  person  and  one  no  longer  in  the  directory  just 
happen  to  be  adjacent  in  the  .ordering.  The  OLD 
one  is  cut,  and  the  new  one  printed.  Upon  end-of- 
file  we  go  back  to  finish  line  “j”. 
j Back  to  beginning  of  file,  which  now  contains  only 
NEW  entries,  “ht”  is  replaced  in  each  line  by  HT, 


TEX  is. . .useful  for  prototyping 
applications  that  might  eventually 
be  done  in  compiler-type 
languages.  It  checks  out  design 
and  human  interfaces  fast.  Most 
debugging  is  done. . .on  live  data. 


and  the  file  is  resaved. 

k Having  listed  all  new  (added)  names  during  the 
process,  in  case  they  should  go  on  any  mailing 
lists,  we  call  the  subprogram  “listold”,  to  print  the 
names  to  be  removed  from  the  source  mailing  lists, 
r A null  current  file  is  made  per  line  “cc”  of  Figure  2. 
The  cut  file  is  pasted  to  it.  After  every  line  we  put  a 
vertical  bar  character,  and  back  to  beginning.  Now 
all  lines  containing  the  string  “\.|"  are  cut,  because 
if  such  a string  is  found  the  entry  is  not  on  any  list, 
so  why  bother  to  tell  anyone?  And  to  the  beginning 
again. 

s With  line  “t",  tells  the  user  what  will  be  listed, 

u “p;*”  means  "print  all  lines”.  The  cut  file  is  pasted 

just  to  clear  it  out  for  future  processes.  Return  to 
line  “k”  and  wrap-up  of  the  process. 


ichnglist  out:»lf /'Changing  list  at  ",»t  ime,*lf  goto  !sk  a 
inewlist  out:*lf, "Adding  list  at  ",*time,*lf  b 
!sk  clear  * call  isetup  c 
!list_no  |what_no|  !list_no  d 
f i lename="mai l~,tag  |get_it|  count=0  p;2  f;1  e 
call  [vector  | of f i ci a l | f 
isuf  | suf f i x | g 
filename=sinkname  |get_it_else|  goto  isuf  h 
|exit1|  ’ 
rs: C'.",tag,". b count=0  call  imatch  |put  awayl  j 
out: ,sinkname,"’  updated  by  'ma i l", tag,"'"  |exTt2|  k 

(vector  if  ‘*eof  |bump|  _name=»cl'<-"  " f;1  goto  '.vector  l 
limit=count  out:”'mai  l", tag,’"  names  vectored."  return  m 

imatch  if  limit:eq: count  return  n 
|bump|  scan:_name:","  if  *lm:eq:0  call  iexception  o 
last=*l,*m  f:last  if  *eof  b f:last  if  »eof  leant | p 
call  [components  M="A"  q 
U1=U3  A1=A3  L1=L3  W2“W4  A2=AA  L2=L4  max=0  linect*0  r 
! last  loop  scan:*cl:'V"  s 
if  (»l,*®> :nes:  last  call  ihigh  goto  imatch  t 


Figure  4.  Branched  to  next  page 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  129 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


Figure  4.  Vectored  from  previous  page 


scan:*r:*ht  split:*l:0  call  (components  n=0  u 
if  L2:ne:0  if  L4:ne:0  call  Iregionl  goto  lhave_it  v 
if  L2 : eq : 0 if  L4:eq:0  call  !region4  goto  !have_it  v 
!regi on23  del=1  M="A"  if  Ll:gt:1  if  L3:gt:1  del=3  M="W"  * 
if  |M|  1 :eqs: |M|3  n=del  if  n:eq:3  goto  !have_it  y 
if  L2:eq:0  W2=U1  A2=A1  V3=W4  A3=A4  z 
del=1  if  L2 : gt : 1 if  L3:gt:1  del=3  M="M"  aa 
if  |N|2:eqs: |M|3  if  del:gt:n  n=del  bb 

(have  it  n*n*1 000+900-1 inect  if  n:gt:max  max=n  cc 
if  ("000", max) 'C3:eq:6  call  ‘high  goto  !»atch  dd 
linect=linect+1  f;1  goto  (lastloop  ee 

•high  t=(900-maxC'3)  if  max: lt:1000  b;t  |cant|  return  ff 
b f : last  f;t  a:(tag,".">  b;t  return  gg 

Iregionl  del=1  if  L2:gt:1  if  L4:gt:1  del=3  M="W"  hh 
if  |M|2:nes:|M|4  return 

n=del  M="A"  jj 

!region4  del=1  if  L1:gt:1  if  L3:gt:1  del»3  H="W"  kk 
if  |M|1:nes:|M|3  n=0  return  ll 
n=n+de l return  l"1" 

(components  scann:*r:"  " split:*r:1  A3=*l  scan:*r:*uc  nn 
W3=(A3,»l) ’<*a  A4=*r']1  W4=*r'<*a  L3=U3>*sub  L4=W4>*sub  oo 
if  L3:gt:1  scan:W3:"  " if  *lm:ne:0  call  (exception  pp 
if  L4:gt:1  scan:W4:"  " if  *lm:ne:0  call  (exception  qq 
return  <’r 


Figure  4.  The  program  “newlist” 


SETTING  UP  A NEW  MAILING  LIST 

Figure  4 is  the  program  “newlist”,  used  to  add  indica- 
tions for  a new  mailing  list,  and  to  update  an  existing 
but  changed  list.  Refinements  could  be  made  for  faster 
operation  and  more  elegant  decisions  for  search  termi- 
nations. But  that  gets  too  large  to  show  here! 

In  explanation  of  Figure  4: 

c With  line  “d”,  the  standard  procedure  to  begin. 

d “what no”  (Figure  2,  line  “o”),  permits  no  reply 

except  digits.  It  does  so  by  scanning  the  input  for 
a character  not  a digit.  If  the  count  is  less  than 
total  length,  it’s  not  all  digits, 
e The  designated  mailing  list  is  brought  as  the  cur- 
rent file.  The  first  two  lines  (identifying  data)  are 
printed.  Then  we  move  to  the  first  name  to  find, 
f The  subprogram  "vector”  puts  each  name  of  the 
mailing  list  into  one  variable  of  a vector,  the  names 
of  which  run  from  “nl”  to  “ni”. 

I If  not  done,  “bump"  (Figure  2,  line  “n")  ups  the 
subscript  count  1 and  makes  the  content  of  "name" 
the  current  line  with  any  righthand  spaces  re- 
moved. The  process  loops  on  this  single  line  until 
end-of-file. 

m When  the  whole  file  is  assigned,  the  last  value  of 
“count”  is  assigned  to  “limit”,  so  the  stepping  pro- 
cess can  be  reconstructed.  A message,  and  return, 
g With  lines  “h”  and  “I",  a familiar  process, 
j The  old  indicator  for  this  mailing  list  (number  and 
bracketing  periods)  is  replaced  by  a single  period 
everywhere  it  occurs.  If  it’s  a new  list  being  added, 
none  are  found.  The  count  is  reinitialized  to  use  the 
name  vector  in  the  matching  process,  and  it  is  called, 
n If  the  count  is  at  limit,  the  name  vector  is  exhausted. 

Return  to  line  “j”,  save  the  modified  file,  wrap-up. 
o The  name  string  is  broken  on  the  comma,  which  is 
critical  in  two  ways:  1)  If  there  isn’t  any  we  have  a 
problem,  and  must  execute  "exception”  (not  shown). 


p 2)  The  comma  must  be  included  in  “last”  for  the 
search,  else  we  might  think  that  “Johns"  was 
found  when  it  was  actually  "Johnson”. 

If  not  found,  backup  to  file  beginning,  in  case 
the  file  may  be  in  wrong  sequence.  But  if  such  a 
last  name  still  isn’t  found,  the  "cant”  procedure 
(Figure  2,  line  "m”)  is  executed.  It  takes  the  pro- 
gram back  to  the  label  “match”,  for  the  next  name, 
q "components”  is  called  to  obtain  the  first  and  mid- 
dle names  or  initials.  “M”  is  set  to  “A”,  which  iden- 
tifies the  name  of  initials.  Whole  names  use  “W”. 
nn  ‘right,  including  all  but  the  last  name,  is  scanned  for 
not  space.  This  handles  0 to  n spaces  after  a comma. 

W3  and  W4  the  first  and  middle  names.  L3  and 
L4  will  be  their  lengths  in  characters,  and  A3  and 
A4  the  initials  of  those  names. 

The  first  initial  must  be  the  first  character.  It  could 
be  followed  by  another  capital,  a period,  a space, 
or  small  letters  of  the  complete  name  (which  could 
also  have  a period,  like  “Jas."  and  “Jno."). 

“A3”  is  the  beginning  capital  of  the  first  name, 
‘right  is  broken  for/'fs  ‘right  to  begin  with  a capital, 
oo  The  initial  and  residual  up  to  the  middle  name  are 
scanned  from  the  right  for  the  first  letter,  removing 
blanks  or  other  punctuation  between  the  given 
names.  “A4”  is  the  beginning  capital  of  the  middle 
name,  and  the  middle  name  is  found  in  the  same  way. 
pp  If  not  an  initial,  the  first  name  is  checked.  If  it  con- 
tains a space  the  exception  subprogram  is  called. 
Line  "qq”  does  the  same  for  the  middle  name, 
rr  Back  to  complete  line  “q”. 
r "components”  works  on  names  in  the  address  file, 
where  the  "3”  and  "4”  subscripts  are  used.  In  this 
case  it  is  serving  a vectored  name,  and  the  sub- 
scripts are  changed  to  "1  ” and  "2”.  “linect”,  set  to 
0,  is  the  count  (from  the  first  occurrence  of  the  sur- 
name) where  the  best  match  is  found. 

“max”  is  the  highest  “n"  found  for  any  set  of 
given  names.  RULE:  If  both  names  are  present, 
count  3 for  a full  name  match,  1 for  an  initial  match, 
for  each  name  (maximum  of  6 is  possible).  If  one  or 
the  other  middle  name  is  missing,  match  the  exist- 
ing middle  name  against  the  other  first  name  if  the 
first  match  fails. 

s A loop  to  pick  up  the  surname  in  the  list  “telmail”. 

t If  no  match,  the  set  of  wanted  surnames  is  ex- 

hausted. Do  the  subprogram  “high”  to  pick  the 
best  fit  so  far.  Then  get  the  next  vectored  name, 
u The  address  is  stripped,  and  the  given  names  sub- 
jected to  “components”  after  the  value  is  initialized, 
v If  both  middle  names/initials  exist,  “regionl”  is 
called  to  match  them.  It  continues  into  “region4” 
to  match  first  names/initials, 
w If  only  first  names  for  both,  "region4". 
x “del"  is  the  scoring  value.  It’s  1 except  if  both 
names  are  not  initials,  in  which  case  it’s  3,  and  we 
compare  whole  names  (W)  instead  of  initials  (A), 
y The  test  is  made.  If  pass,  “n"  is  set  to  the  value.  If 
it  is  3,  the  first  names  had  a full  match,  and  there  is 
no  use  checking  crosswise  to  a middle  name.  E.g., 
"Quitecontrary,  Mary  Mary”, 
z We  must  match  first  against  the  existing  middle. 
This  line  effects  interchange  for  one  of  the  two 
conditions,  so  that  lines  “aa”  and  “bb”  work  for 
both  cases. 

aa  The  same  value  setting,  initial  or  full  name, 
bb  If  a match,  and  a higher  value  than  we  have  so  far, 
the  higher  is  it.  E.g.,  matching  “A.  Andrew”  to  “An- 
drew”, the  middle  name  is  a better  match. 


130  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  TUTORIAL 


cc  We  get  here  by  falling  through  for  regions  2 and  3, 
by  a “goto”  from  regions  1 and  4.  The  value  is  put 
in  the  4th  position  by  multiplying  by  1000;  the  line 
count  is  decremented  from  900  (in  this  case  the 
maximum  of  a single  surname  that  can  be  tested. 
It  is  decremented  so  that  the  first  individual  with 
the  highest  value  is  the  match.  If  “n"  is  higher  than 
the  old  maximum,  it  becomes  the  new  maximum, 
dd  6 is  the  highest  possible  value.  Stop  looking, 
ee  Else  up  the  line  count,  go  forward  to  the  next  name 
to  test,  and  repeat. 

ff  "t”  is  the  line  count  for  the  maximum.  But  if  we 
didn’t  get  a value  of  at  least  1,  there  is  no  match  at  all. 
gg  To  beginning  of  file  again.  Find  the  surname  once 
more,  and  move  forward  (count)  lines.  After  that 
entry  append  the  list  number  and  another  period. 
Back  up  to  the  first  of  that  surname  and  retry. 

MAKING  THE  MAILING  LIST  TO  USE 

Figure  5 is  a program  “display",  which  makes  a cover 
sheet,  or  labels,  as  the  directing  medium  for  a specific  list. 


idisplay  out:*lf, "Starting  ‘display1  at  ",*time,*lf  a 
clear  • call  isetup  (official  I b 
!display_again  | suffix | c 
filena®e=sinkname  |get_it_else|  goto  !di splay_again  d 
lexitl)  e 
!list2  |uhat_no|  ! Iist2  f 
cuts:<".", tag, |null_cf|  g 
b paste  b d;1  a;*:*rs  b ds:"\",*rs;*  b h 
in:“Want  labels?  " |if_yes|  call  ilabels  |exit2|  i 
call  icover  |exit2|  j 

icover  in:"Want  in  aail  station  order?  " k 
|if_yes|  call  !ms_order  sort  *;*:(A4)CA1)  l 
if  *1n*jltnes:"Y"  call  !no  order  n 
ib:*cl: ("Mai ling  List  No.  ^tag)  i:*cl:“  " n 
b p-’n"  cols=2  n=50  see-'n"  call  tex lib/n-up!bf  o 
filename-'sink"  |put_away|  p 
out:"List  is  in  your  file  'sink*  " a 
oot:"You  may  use  'texlib/2print  sink(n)',  or"  r 
in:"list  at  the  terminal?  ” |if_yes|  b p;»  s 
return  t 

!ms_order  |eof|  u 
scan:*cl:*ht  pre=»l  split:*r:1  v 
r:»cl:(»l,("  ",*r)['3,"  ",pre>  f;1  goto  !ms_order  u 

!no_order  |eof|  x 
scan:*cl:*ht  r:*cl:(C*l,"  ")']25,*r  y 
f;1  goto  !no_order  a 


Figure  5.  The  program  “display” 


In  explanation  of  Figure  5: 

a Through  line  "f”,  standard  practices  of  the  pre- 
vious programs. 

g All  lines  containing  the  indication  for  the  wanted 
mailing  list  are  cut  from  the  current  file.  A null  file 
is  created. 

h The  cut  lines  are  pasted,  and  the  first  line  of  the 
file  (a  dummy  blank)  is  deleted.  A Record  Separator 
(*rs)  is  put  after  each  line.  Then  all  strings  between 
“\”  and  RS  are  deleted.  This  destroys  all  of  the  list 
indicators,  leaving  only  name  and  address. 

i if  labels  are  wanted,  that  program  (not  shown)  is 
called,  and  the  process  ended. 

j Else  the  subprogram  “cover”  is  called. 

k An  option  is  given. 

I If  accepted,  the  subprogram  "ms order”  is  called. 


u At  end-of-file,  a return  upon  process  completion, 
v Else  the  line  is  broken  on  the  HT  character.  The 
single  letter  prefix  (in  this  particular  scheme)  is 
split  off. 

w The  line  is  reconstructed  and  replaced.  Now  the 
address  is  in  front,  the  numeric  part  of  the  address 
is  right-justified,  and  the  names  are  all  left-justified. 
Go  to  the  next  line,  and  repeat  until  end-of-file. 
m If  the  option  wasn’t  accepted,  the  lines  must  still 
be  conditioned. 

y The  lines  are  split.  Blank  spaces  are  inserted  and 
truncated  so  that  the  addresses  will  be  left-justified, 
z To  the  next  line,  and  repeat  until  done, 
n The  identification  is  put  into  the  first  line  of  the 
list,  followed  by  a blank  line, 
o Four  parameter  values  are  present  for  the  general- 
purpose  program  "n-up”,  so  that  it  may  be  called 
at  the  label  “bf"  (for  “brief”),  and  thus  avoid  inter- 
active questioning.  The  value  “n”  for  “see”  means 
that  we  do  not  wish  to  see  the  process  working. 
The  name  list  is  formed  into  two  columns  of  50 
lines  per  page. 

p The  formatted  list  is  put  into  “sink”, 
q We  are  told  that. 

r And  how  to  print  it  with  the  line  printer  if  desired, 

s Else  we  have  the  option  to  print  it  at  the  terminal. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  TEX 

The  user  gets  many  bonuses  from  using  TEX,  many  of 
which  are  not  always  expected: 

•Application  programs  are  compact.  Most  fit  on  a 
single  page,  in  one  field  of  view.  This  aids  the  human 
mind  in  comprehension.  No  thumbing  back  and  forth. 

•That  means  they  also  consume  less  storage. 

•And  there  is  less  to  change  when  you  want  to  modify 
a program. 

Our  Dick  Petersen  made  a database  entry  program 
and  showed  it  to  the  people  that  had  to  do  the  work 
every  day.  Each  suggested  redesign  to  their  prefer- 
ences, plus  some  needs  Dick  had  not  foreseen.  He 
was  back  in  an  hour,  with  the  program  running  their 
way  (a  service  few  users  get  from  programmers  that 
use  other  languages)!  Naturally  they  were  disposed 
to  use  it.  And  their  productivity  immediately  more 
than  doubled! 

•Plan-ahead  and  structured  programming,  although 
surely  desirable,  are  not  so  vital.  With  TEX,  I usually 
find  it  easier  to  jump  right  in  and  build  a part,  think- 
ing meanwhile  about  the  whole.  I can  always  change 
both  programs  and  file  formats  with  very  little  effort, 
if  that  appears  necessary.  In  the  jargon  of  the  soft- 
ware engineers,  one  can  move  easily  back  and  forth 
between  “bottom-up"  and  “top-down"  methods. 

•Programs  are  easy  to  cannibalize  for  other,  but  re- 
lated, purposes. 

•TEX  is  also  useful  for  prototyping  applications  that 
might  eventually  be  done  in  compiler-type  languages. 
It  checks  out  design  and  human  interfaces  fast. 

•Responses  to  data  entry  prompts  are  easy  to  validate 
for  type,  size,  etc.  And  it’s  simple  to  human-engineer 
a helpful  request  for  re-entry. 

•Most  debugging  is  done  quickly  on  live  data,  rather 
than  waiting  for  a lengthy  compilation  process  with 
vast  output. 

In  ending  this  series  on  TEX,  I’d  like  to  say  that  I have 
been  a programmer  for  over  29  years,  and  I’ve  never  felt 
before  that  so  much  problem-solution  power  was  avail- 
able for  me  to  use  so  easily.D 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  131 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


GP  Monitor  for  M6800 


The  GP  Monitor  Ver  2.1  written  for  the  Motorola 
M6800  uses  only  the  INEEE  (EIAC..)  and  OUTEE  (EIDI..) 
Software  UART  subroutines  in  the  MC6830  L7  ROM. 
These  vectors  can  be  changed  as  required  to  any  input 
routine  and  output  routine  that  does  not  alter  the  B or  X 
registers.  The  input  routine  must  mask  Bit  7 of  the  A 
register. 

e.g.: 

AND  A #%01111111 
RTS 

The  Monitor  is  tucked  away  at  the  very  top  of  contiguous 
RAM  in  each  version.  Four  versions  are  supplied: 

4K,  8K,  16K,  32K 

The  Monitor  occupies  the  uppermost  4C1u  bytes  in 
each  version  and  is  protected  against  accidental  altera- 
tion by  the  Monitor  subroutines  (the  DANGER  subrou- 
tine is  used  extensively). 

The  result  is  a virtually  fool-proof  general  purpose 
Monitor  useful  for  a variety  of  applications. 

The  Monitor  accepts  18  commands  from  an  ASCII  ter- 
minal connected  to  an  M6800  system  using  the 
MCM6830  L7  MIKBUG  ROM. 

When  resident,  the  Monitor  accepts  input  commands 
described  as  follows: 

The  CP  Monitor  has  two  modes  of  operation: 
COMMAND  MODE  / EXECUTION  MODE 

The  user  may  input  two-character  mnemonics  which 
causes  the  Monitor  to  perform  the  selected  operation. 
Once  the  operation  has  been  performed,  the  Monitor  re- 
enters command  mode.  All  command  mnemonics  are 
followed  by  a comma  delimiter.  All  address  blocks  are 
separated  by  commas. 

e.g.: 

MM, 0000, 03FF, 1000 


Valid  commands  are: 


LD 

Load  Data 

TM 

Test  Memory 

DD 

Dump  Data 

LT 

Load  a Tape 

LM 

Load  Memory 

PT 

Punch  a Tape 

DM 

Dump  Memory 

PB 

Punch  a BNPF  Tape 

SB 

Search  for  a Byte 

CO 

Calculate  HEX  Offsets 

SW 

Search  for  a Word 

MM 

Move  Memory  Block 

cs 

Call  a Subroutine 

CM 

Clear  Memory 

CA 

Convert  ASCII 

(ESC, ESC) 

Go  To  Alternate  Monitor 

PI 

Call  Program  #1 

P2 

Call  Program  #2 

LOAD  DATA  INTO 

MEMORY 

LD.DDDD  D is  Destination  Start  Address 


Load  data  as  input  on  terminal  and  store  into  memory 
starting  at  location  DDDD.  Each  input  increments  stor- 
age pointer.  If  data  is  not  stored  into  RAM  (e.g.  ROM), 
routine  ABORTS  and  Command  Mode  are  reentered. 

To  terminate  a string  of  data,  press  ESCape  key.  Ter- 
minal responds  by  printing  AAAA  BB,  where  A is  next 
available  storage  address  and  B is  HEX  count  of  charac- 
ters entered  (up  to  FF(255)). 

DUMP  ASCII  DATA  FROM  MEMORY 

DD.SSSS  S is  start  address  of  dump 


Dump  data  from  memory  to  terminal  starting  at  loca- 
tion S and  ending  when  an  EOT  (04m)  is  encountered. 
When  EOT  occurs,  Monitor  returns  to  command  mode. 

LOAD  MEMORY  WITH  HEX  DATA 

LM.SSSS  S is  start  address  of  storage 

e.g.:  SSSS  = 0000 
Terminal  responds  by: 

0010,  NEXT  LINE  (16  Bytes) 

Enter  comma,  etc. 

Whenever  an  exit  is  desired,  hit  ESC  key  and  Monitor 
returns  to  command  mode. 

DUMP  MEMORY  HEX  DATA 

DM.SSSS.EEEE  S - Starting  Address 

E - Ending  Address 

Terminal  responds  with: 

0000 11 22 33  --  00 

0010 11 22  ETC 

until  Ending  address  is  reached  and  Monitor  returns  to 
command  mode. 

SEARCH  FOR  AN  8 BIT  BYTE  IN  MEMORY 

SB,SSSS,EEEE,DD  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 
D - Data  pattern  in  HEX 

Terminal  prints  address  of  each  location  that  con- 
tains DD  within  the  S - E range. 

SEARCH  FOR  A 16  BIT  WORD  IN  MEMORY 

SW, SSSS, EEEE, DDDD  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 
D - Data  pattern  in  HEX 

Terminal  prints  address  of  each  point  in  memory  that 
contains  two  successive  8 bit  bytes  DDDD. 

CALL  A SUBROUTINE  FROM  MONITOR 

CS.DDDD  D-  Address  of  Subroutine 

Subroutine  (or  another  program)  executes,  and  if  termi- 
nated with  a 39>s  (RTS),  Monitor  reenters  command  mode. 

CONVERT  ASCII  TO  HEX  EQUIVALENT 

CA,A  A - Any  Valid  ASCII 

Character 

Terminal  prints  HEX  equivalent,  and  Monitor  returns 
to  command  mode. 

TEST  MEMORY  ROUTINE 

TM, SSSS, EEEE  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 

Routine  responds  by  clearing  locations  S through  E 
inclusive.  If  at  any  time  the  start  address  of  the  GP 
Monitor  is  reached,  program  aborts  and  Monitor  com- 
mand mode  is  reentered. 

When  memory  is  cleared,  program  sequentially  incre- 
ments memory  and  tests  for  valid  result.  This  is  done  for 
all  256  combinations  per  bytes  for  all  memory  locations 
selected.  An  8K  RAM  requires  about  two  minutes  to  test. 


132  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


4K  • 8K  ■ 16K  or  32K  Configuration 


Any  error  in  memory  causes  terminal  to  print  address 
where  error  occurred. 

When  routine  finishes,  Monitor  returns  to  command 
mode. 

LOAD  A HEX  FORMATTED  OBJECT  TAPE 

(Must  Be  Continguous  Data) 

LT.DDDD  D - Start  Address  of 

Contiguous  Memory 

Object  tape  is  loaded  into  memory  until  S9  is  read. 
Monitor  returns  to  command  mode. 

PUNCH  FOLD-MARK  FORMATTED  PAPER  TAPE 

PT,SSSS,EEEE  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 

Terminal  with  paper  tape  punch  outputs  object  tape 
with  8V2"  rubout  fold  marks. 

Leaders  and  trailers  are  written  to  tape  with  S9  termi- 
nator included. 

PUNCH  A BNPF  FORMATTED  OBJECT  TAPE 

PB,SSSS,EEEE  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 

Terminal  punches  paper  tape  suitable  for  most  Intel 
MDS  prom-programming  system  readers. 

Leaders,  foldmarks  and  trailers  are  written  to  tape. 

CALCULATE  HEX  OFFSET 

0010  20  HERE  BRA  THERE 

(30)  CO, 001 0,0042 30 

ANSWER  PRINTED 
BY  TERMINAL 

0042  20  THERE  BRA  HERE 

(CC)  CO, 0042, 0010 CC 

ANSWER  PRINTED 
BY  TERMINAL 


When  finished,  Monitor  returns  to  command  mode. 

If  branch  is  out  of  range,  terminal  prints  an  X,  and 
Monitor  reenters  command  mode. 

MOVE  A BLOCK  OF  CONTIGUOUS  MEMORY 

MM,SSSS,EEEE,DDDD  S - Source  Start  Address 

E - Source  End  Address 
D - Destination  Start 
Address 


Terminal  prints  destination  end  address  when  block 
move  is  complete  and  Monitor  reenters  command  mode. 

CLEAR  CONTIGUOUS  MEMORY  BLOCK 

CM,SSSS,EEEE  S - Start  Address 

E - End  Address 

Routine  sets  all  bits  in  all  memory  locations  to  zero.  If 
Monitor  starting  address  is  reached,  program  aborts  and 
Monitor  reenters  command  mode. 


PI  Call  user  Program  #1 
User  selected  Address 

P2  Call  user  Program  #2 
User  selected  Address 

(ESC, ESC)  Escape, Escape 

Jump  to  alternate  Monitor 


□ 


By  William  E.  Warren 


GP  MONITOR  4K  VERSION 


2TS00800004D4F4E49  544F5220AC 

SI  I E093E8LA0428D32BD0C2ECE0BOFEI 032604AI 0 1 270E060838088C0C2726D3 
SI lE08S9EFBD0BBD28DFEE02AD0020D9CL08687E0FCC9DCA000?C0FF0C000eCl 
SI  I E0B7 404SDEECE0B7C20EC524541 44593E043DI9CLC88C6DDE20B22A2A2A05 
SI  1 E0B8F41 424F52542A2A2A24SC0B3E27E639FFA04A8O0E9 ICE2BAC8DBF7E9E 
SI  I EPBAA0CB20D0A0000004552524F522041 54202D2034CE08C37EOFCC204949 
SI IE0BC54E564I4C494420434F4D4D414E442004C6404F6D0FFA5A26F9394CF7 
SI IE0BE0440CF344440D2I 4C4D0D26444D0D8853420D68434DOOS54353BC9D9D 
SI IE0BFB4D4DOCBB53570D944C540E70SC54OEO5S44D9E2S434FeDE3434l0EA5 
SI  I E0C  I 6621  Bl  BE0D050420F64503I 0B3E50320B3EFF7E0B8  37E0B3EBD0FFD42 
SI  1 E0C3 1 1 67E0FFD88302B0F8 I 09  2F2A8 I 1 I 28078  I I 62 E0 36007  398  I EB26DC9D 
SI 1E0C4C20DD8DE220E337BDF948484848I68DF2IB36BBA0SEB7AC5E32333943 
SI  1 E0C67  37368DE7 I 68DE4CEA04AE700A70 1 EE003233398DB68 I IB27AB6I2CDS 
SI  1 E0C8226F6398DF320C98DEF20DA8DFAFFA04E8DF5FFA8508DF0FFA0523993 
SI  1 E8C9D6DEAAD007E9B3E8DE3FFA058SODEFFA05A39BD9865CLA04A7E0FF6EI 
SI  1 E0C866DD3FEA04EA600BCA0  5027  1 908FFA04EFEA052BD0B98A700AI 2027 8B 
SI IE0CD3037E0BS308FFA05220DDFEA052A700BD0FF2CEA0527E0FF67E0CB952 
SI  I E0CEE7E0C7A20B 1 8DF67FA05F8D0FFD6 I I 827  I AFEA04ABD0B98A700A I C0DB 
SI  I E0D0927037E0B8  308FFA04A7CA0SF270220DF8D9486A0SF7E0F4  68DC87L8  5 
SI  I E0D240FCCBDC37FA05FBO0CAF8DBE8D0C527 CA0SFFEA04ABD0896A700A I IE 
SI  I E0D3F0027037E0B8 308FFA04AB6A0SF8 1 1 027D38D0FF220D88O9AFEA6SS53 
SI  I E0D5ABD0B966F008CA05A27030820F3398D67 FEA0S8FFA04ABD0C8S I 6FE22 
SI IE0D7 SA04AA6001 12708BCA0SA27E60620F3FFA04A37BD0CAF33FEA04A20DE 
SI  I E0D90F07 E0C8D8DFBFEA04EBCA0 5927 C9A680E60I 81 A0 52269 5F I A0 5327  C7 
SI IE0DAB03082OEAFFA04A08FFA04EBD0CAF20D98D0CA4FEA0S8FFA04A8D0CAE 
SI IL9DC6AF8610B7A05FFEA04A098CA95A279208BD0FF0FFA04A7AA05F26EB7C 
SI  I E0OEI 20DEBD0CA4  5FSA5AFEA058B6A058B  I A05A22 1 SB6A0S9B I A0SB228D6S 
SI  I E0DFCBCAO5A27 I 508 5CC 180271 620F38CA0SA2708095AC 1 7 F270920F3BD69 
SI IE0EI70FF2I 77E0F468D0FF286567 E0FFABD0CA4BD0DS7FEA058A6004CA79  I 
SI IE0E320CB7A060E600F7A06I 1 I 2608BCA05A27 1 A0820E8FFA04ABD0B9ECEA9 
SI  I ECE4DAC6CBD0FF0BD0FF0FEA04AB6A06020O38 I FF26CA39BO0C7ABD0FFDC8 
SI  I E0E66368D0FF2327E0F468D0C89FFA04E86I 18DS86 63CB78007BD0FFD8 1 6D 
SI  I E0E8 35326F9BD0FFE6 1 31 27 1 181 3926EE8634B760078  61 38O38397E0CS2F2 
SI IE0E9E7FA05E8DF880O2B7A05DBD0C67FEA04E8DE8BD0B987AA05D2709A7BB 
SI  1 E0EB900A1 00260B0820EDFFA04E7CA05E27B6863F8D058OC27E0B9E7E8F95 
SI  1 E0ED4FA8D0CA4B6 1 28 DF 68D0BD5FEA058FFA04CB6A0SBB0A04DF6A0 SAF2CF 
SI  I E0EEFA04C26048 1202502861 F8BC4B7A05C8003B7A05DBD3365CE0F6I 8DC0 
SI IE0F0A0FCC7FA05ECLA05C8D39CEA04C8D44FEA04C8D2F7AA05O26F9FFA07A 
SI  I E0F254C73A05ECEA05E8DI FFEA04C09BCA05A26AL8 6538D978  6396D938D62 
SI  I E0F40P8D586I 4208C3630BD0FE3323937BD0FE309L60008FBA0SEF7A05E21 
SI  1 E0F5B3339SDEE20ECS33 1 04BD0CA4FEA0SA08  FFA04E8  61 2BD0FFA8D0BD5A7 
SI  1 E0F7  68D2C2003BD0B65C60686426D77FEA658BCA0SA27  I I A60008FFA0S830 
SI  I E0F9  1 8DI B86468D63SA26E520DEC6648D068 6 1 420S6C64D8  6FF8D50SA26B8 
SI 1E0FACF9 3937C608360C46SA26FAC608 324624068 6S08D3920048 64E8D3329 
SI  1 E0FC7 SA26EF3339A6008 I 0427F96D260820F58  40F8 1 0923023B078B3020  66 
SI  1 E0FE2I7A600474747476DECA6000820E70DFI 862020048DE820F67EE1DI E3 
S 1 060FFD7  EEI ACE2 
S9030000FC 


GPMONITOR8K  VERSION 


2T500B00004D4F4E49  S44FS229AC 

SI  I EIB3E8EA0428D32BDI C2ECEI BOFEI 002634A1 0 1 27  0E03030B088C I C27  2 693 
SI IEIBS9EFBDIBBD20DFEE02AD0020D9CEIB6B7EI FCC0D0A000000 FF000020B  I 
SI IEI874045DEECE1B7C20ECS24S4144593E048D19CEIBSC8DDE20B22A2A2AD5 
SI  1 El B8F4I 424F52542A2A2A048C I B3E27E639  FFA04ABDI E9 I CE 1 BAC8DBF7  E5E 
SI  l EIBAA1 CB20D0A0000O04552S24F522041 S4202D2004CE I BC37E I FCC204909 
SI  I EIBC54E564I 4C49  4420434F4D4O4I 4E442004C6404FBDI FFASA26F9394CD7 
SI  I EIBE044I CF344441 D2I 4C4DI D26444DI DBBS342 1 D68434D I DSS43S3 1 C901 D 
SI  I E1BFB4D4DI CB853S7 1 D944C54I E70S0S4I EDS544DI E2S434FIDE3434I I E25 
SI  I El  Cl  662 I Bl  BE0D05042I F64S03I I83ES032183EFF7EIB837E1B3E8D1FFOD2 
SI  I El C 31  I 67EI FFD60302B0F8 I 092F0A8 1 I 1 2B078 I 1 62E038007  396  I EB26DC7D 
SI  I El C4C20DD8DE220E337BDF9484848  48 I 68DF21836BBA05EB7ACSE32333933 
SI  1 El C67  3736BDE7I 68DE4CEA04AL700A70 1 EE00323339SDB68 I 1327AB812CC5 
SI 1EIC8226F6398DF320C96DEF20DA8DFAFFA04E8DF5FFA0S06DF0FFA0523983 
S 1 I El  C9D8DEAAD007EI B3E8DE3FFA0S88DDEFFA05A39BD1 B65CEA04A7E1 FF6A I 
SI  1 El CB88DD3FEA04EA600BCA0  5027 l 908FFA04EFEA052BDI B98A7  00 A I 0327  60 
SI  I El CD3037EI B8  308FFA05220DDFEA052A700BDI FF2CEA0527L I FF67EICB902 
SI  I El CEE7EI C7A20B 1 8DF67FA0SFBDI FFD8 1 I B27 I AFEA04A8D! B98A7  00A 1 30 9B 
SI  I El  D0927037EIB8308FFA04A7CA05F270220DF8D94B6A05F7EI  F468DC87E55 
SI 1EID24I FCC8DC37FA0SFBDI CAF8DBE8DI C527CA05FFEA04ABD1898A700AI CE 
SI  I El D3F0027037EI B8308FFA04AB6A0SF8 I I 027D6BD I FF220DB8D9AFEA05823 
SI  I El DSA8D1B966F00BCA05A27030820F3398D87  FEA058FFA04ABD1 CSS l 6FEF2 
SI  I El D7 SA04AA600 1 I 27088CA0SA27E60820F3FFA04A37BDI CAF33FEA04A20BE 
SI IEID90F07EI C8D8DFBFEA04EBCA0S027C9A600E60 1 Bl A0522  605FI A05327A7 
SI  1 El DAB030820EAFFA04A08FFA04E8OI CAF20DSBD1 CA4FLA058FFA04ABD 1 C6E 
SI  I El DC6AF86I 0B7A05FFLA04A098CA05A2792088D1 FF0FFA04A7AA05F26EB5C 
SI  I El  DEI 20DEBDI CA45F5A5AFEA058B6A058BI A05A22 1 5B6A0S9B 1 A0  SB220D4S 
SI  I El DFCBCA05A27 1 508SCCI8027 I 620F3BCA05A270B09SAC17  F270920F3BD59 
SI  I El  El  7 I FF2 1 77EI F46BDI FF266587L1 FFABD1 CA4BDI D57 FEA058A6004CA721 
SI  I El E3200B7A060E600F7A06I I I 2606BCA05A2? I A08  20E8T  f A04ABD1B9ECE.B9 
SI  I El E4DA060BDI FF0BDI FF0FEA04AB6A06020D38 1 FF26CA39BDI C7ABDI FF07  8 
SI  I El E6836BDI FF2327EI F46BDI C89FFA04L86I 1 8D588 63CB780078D 1 FFD8 1 I D 
SI  IEIE835326F98DIFFD81  31271 18  I 3926EE8 6348780078 6 1 38 D 39  397  E 1 C52C2 
SI  1 El E9E7  FA05E8DF88002B7A0  SDBDI C67FEA04E8DEBBD 1 B987 AA0  5D2709A7  BB 
SI  I El EB900AI 00260B0820EDFFA0  4E7CA05E27B6863F8D058DC27E 1 89E7E l F6S 
SI  I El ED4FABDI CA486 1 28DF68DI BDSFLA058  FTA04CB6A05BB0A04DF 6A05AF29F 
SI  1 El EEFA04C260  481 202502661 F8B04B7A05C8003B7A05DBDI 8 65CE I F6IBD90 
SI IEIF0AIFCC7FA05ECEA0SC8D39CEA04C8D44FEA04C8D2F7AA05D26F9FFA05A 
SI  I El F254C7  3A85ECEA05E8O1 FFLA04C09BCA05A26AE86536O9786398D93BO52 
SI  I El F40I BOSS 6 1 4208C3630BDI FE33239378D1 FE309E60808FBA05EF7A05EE1 
SI  I El F5B  3 3 398DEE20EC5331 04BDI CA4FEA05A08FFA04E861 2BD1 FFABDIBD567 
SI  I El F768D2C2003BD1 B65C60886428D77FEAC58BCA0  5A27 I I A 60008  FFA0S6 I 0 
SI  1 El  F9  1 8DI  B86468D63SA26E520DEC6648D068  61  420 S6C64D8  6FF8DS05A26A8 
SI  I El  FACF9  39  37  C608  360C465A26FAC603324624068 650603920048  64E8D33 1 9 
SI  I El FC7 5A26LF3339A6008 I 0427F98D260820F5840F8 1 092  30288078B302056 
SI  1 El FE2 1 7A600474747478OECA6000820E78DF 1 8620 20048 DE820F67 EE I OID3 
SI061FFD7EEI AC 02 
S9030000FC 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  133 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


GP  MONITOR  16K  VERSION 


2TS00OO0004D4F4E49544F5220AC 

SI  I E303E3EA0428D32BD3C2ECE3BDFE I 3026O4AI 01 270E030609088C3C2726I  3 
SI  I E3859EFBD3BBD20DFEE02AD0020D9CE386B7£3rCC0D0A000000FF08000O0 I 
SI  I E307 40 43DEECE3B7C20EC524S4I 4459  3E048DI 9CE386C6DDE20B22A2A2A7 5 
SI  1 E3B8F4I 424F52S42A2A2A048  C3B3E27E639FFA04ABD3E9 I CL3BACBDBF7EDE 
SI  I E38AA3CB2ODOA0000004S52524F52204I 54202D2004CE3BC37E3FCC204989 
SME3BCS4E564I4C494420434F4D4D4I4E442004C6404FBD3FFA5A26F9  394C97 
SI IE3BI0443CF344443D2l4C4O3O26444C3DBB53423D68434O3D5543533C9Dir 
SI  IE3BFB4D4D3CB8  53573D944C543E705P543ED5S44D3E25434F3DE3434I3E25 
SI IE3CI662IBI 8E0D050423F645031 383ESe323B3EFF7L38837E3B3EBD3FFDF2 
SI  I E3C3 1 I 67E3FFD60 302B0F8 1 092F0A8 III  28078  I I 62 E0 38 007 398  I EB2  6DC3D 
St 1E3C4C20DO6DE220E3378DF946484848I68OF2IB368BA0SEB7A05E323339IB 
SI  I E3C67 37368  OE7 I 68OE4CEA04AE700A7C I LE803233398D868 I I B27AB8 I 2 CAS 
SI IE3C8226F6398OF320C98DLF20OA8DFAFFA04E8DF5FFA0508DFOFFA0523963 
SI IE3C9D8DEAAO007E3B3E8DE3FFAC588DDEFFA05A39BD3B65CEA04A7E3FF62I 
SI  I E3C886DO3FEA04EA6008CA0S027 I908FFA04EFLA0S2BD3B98A700AI 00272B 
SI  I E3CD30  37  E 388  308 FFA0 5220 DDF EA0 52A7 00BD 3FF2C EA0 527 E3FF67E3C89  62 
SI  1E3CEE7E3C7A20BI8 DF67 FA0  5FBD3FFD8 I I B27 I AFEA04ABD3B98A7 00 A I 0®  1 B 
SI IE3D0927037E3B5308FFA04A7CA05F270220DF8D94B6A05F7E3F468DC87EF5 
SI  1E3D243FCC8DC37FA05FBD3CAF8D8EBD3C527CA05FFEA04ABO3B99A700AI2E 
SI  I E3D3F0027037E3B8 308FFA04AB6A05F8 I I 027O6BO3FF220OB8D9AFEA058C3 
SI  I E3D5ABD3B986F00BCA05A270  30820F3398D67FEA0S8FFA04A8D3C85 1 6FE92 
SI IE3D75A04AA600I I2708BCA05A27E60820F3FFA04A378D3CAF33FEA04A207E 
SI  I E3D90F07E3C8D8DFBFEA0  4EBCA05027C9A600E60 IBIA0522605FIA05327  67 
SI  I E3DAB030820EAFFA04A08 FFA04E0D3CAF20D88D3CA4FEAP58FFA04ABD3CEL 
SI  I E3DC6AF86I 0B7A05FFEA04A09BCA05A2792088D3FF0FFA04A7AA05F26E8 I C 
S I I E3DE I 20DEBD3CA4SFSASAFEA0  588 6A6  5881 A05A22 1 586A059B I A0S8220DOS 
SI  I E3OFC8CA05A27 I 509SCCI8027I 626F38CA0SA270609 SAC  1 7F270920F3BD39 
SI  I E3EI 7 3FF2 1 77E3F468D 3FF286587E3FFA8D3CA4BD3D57 FEA058A6004CA7 4 1 
SI IE3E3200B7A060E600F7A06I I I 2603BCA05A27 I A0820E8FFA04ABD3B9ECE49 
SI  I E3E4OA0608D3FF0BD3FF0FEA04AB6A06020O38 l FF26CA39BD3C7ABD3FFOD5 
S I I E3E66 3680 3FF2 327 E3F46BO3CS9FFA04E86I 1 8D588 63CB78007BD3FFO8 1 7D 
SI  IE3E835326F9803FF08I 31271 I8I3926EE863487800786I38D38397E3C5262 
SI  1 E3E9E7FA0SESDF88002B7A05DBD3C07  FEA04E8DEBBD3B987 AA05D2709A7  2B 
SI  I E3EB900AI 00260B0820EDFFA04E7CA05E2786863F8D058DC27E3B9E7E3F05 
SI  I E3ED4FABD3CA4861 28DF6BO38D5FLA056FFA04CD6A05BB0A04DF6A05AF23F 
SI  I E3EEFA04C26048 1202502861 F6B04B7 A05C8003B7A05DBD3B65CE3F6I BD30 
SI  I E3F0A3FCC7FA05ECEA0 5C8D39CEA04C8O44FEA04C8D2F7AA05O26F9FFA0 I A 
SI  I E3F254C73A05ECLA05E8DI FFEA04C098CA05A26AE86538D9786398D93BD32 
SI  I E3F403BDS86I 4208C3630BD3FE3323937BD3FE309E60008FBA05EF7A05E6I 
SI  I E3F5B33398DEE20ECS33 1 04BD3CA4FLA0SA08 FFA04E8 61 2BD3FFABD3BD5E7 
SI  I E3F7  6BD2C20038D3B65C6088642SD77FEA0S8BCA05A27 I I A60008FFA058O0 
SI  I E3F9  I 8DI  B86468D635A26E520DEC6648D0686I  42056C64D8  6FF8D505A2688 
SI  I E3FACF9  39 37C608  360C465A26FAC6083246240  68  650BD3920048 64E8D33F9 
SI  I E3FC7  5A26EF3339A6008 I 0427F98D260820FS840F8 I 09 230 28B0 7 SB 3020 3 6 
SI  1 E3FE2I7A600474747478DECA6000820E78DFI862020048DED20F67EEIDIB3 
SI 063FFD7EEI ACB2 
S903O000FC 


GP  MONITOR  32 K VERSION 


2TS00B00004O4F4E49544F5220AC 

SI  I E7B3E8LA0428O32BD7C2ECE78OFE1 002604AI 01 270E080808088C7C2726I 3 
SI  1 E7B59EFBD7BBD20OFEE02AD0020O9CE7B6B7E7FCC0D0A000000FF0000000 1 
S I 1 E7B7  4048DEECE7B7C20EC524S41 4459  3E048DI 9CE7B8C8OOE20B22A2A2AB5 
SI  1 E7B8F4I 424F52542A2A2A048C7B3E27E639FFA04A8D7E9 I CE7BAC8DBF7LDE 
SI  I E7BAA7CB20D0A00000C4552524F52204I 54202D2004CE7BC37E7FCC204989 
SI  I E7BC54E564 1 4C494429434F4D4D4I 4E442004C6404FBD7 FFASA2  6F9394C 1 7 
SI  I E78E0447CF 34 44 47 D2 1 4C4D7D2644407D8B53427D68434D7D5S43537C9DI D 
SI  1 E7BF84D4O7CB8  53577D9  44C547E7050  547LD5544D7E25434F7DE3434I  7E25 
SI  I E7  C I 662 1 B I BE0D0  50427F64503 1 7B3E50327B3EFF7E7B837E7B3EBD7FFD32 
SI IE7C3I 1 67E7FFD80302B0F6 I 092F0A8 I I I2B078I I 62E038007 398  I E826DCDD 
SI  IE7C4C20DO8DE220E3378DF94848  48  48  I 68DF2  I B36BBA05EB7  A05E323339DB 
SI  1 E7  C67  37  368 DE7 1 68DE4CEA04AE700A70 1 EE80  3233398D8  68 I IB27AB8I2C65 
SI  I E7 C8 226V 6398 DF 320C98DEF20DA8DFAFFA04E8DF5FFA050BDF0FFA0523923 
SI  I E7C9D8DLAAD007E7B3L8DE3FFA0588DDEFFA05A39BD7B65CEA04A7E7FF62 I 
SI  I E7 CO88OO3FEA04EA600BCA0S027 1908 FFA04EFLA052BD7B98A7  00AI 0027 AD 
S I I E7CO3037E7B8  308 FFA0 5220 DOFEA0 52A7008D7FF2CLA0 527 E7FF67E7C8922 
SI  I E7CEE7E7C7A20B 1 80F 67FA05FBD7FFO8 1 1 827  I AFEA04ABO7B98A700A 1 00  I B 
SI  1E7D0927037E7B8308FFA04A7CA05F270220OF8D94B6A05F7E7F468DC07E35 
SI IE7D247FCC8DC37FA05FBD7CAF8DBEBD7C527CA05FFLA04ABD7B98A700AIEE 
SI  1 E7D3F0027037E7B8  308FFA04A86A05F8 1 1 027D6BD7FF220DBBD9AFLA05803 
SI  I E7D5ABD7B986F00BCA05A27030820F3398D87FLA058FFA04ABD7C85I 6FED2 
SI  I E7D7  5A04AA600 1 I 2706BCA05A27E60820F3FFA04A37BD7CAF33FLA04A20FE 
SI  I E7D9  0F07E7C8O8DFBFEA04EBCA0  5027C9A600E60 1 B I A0522605F1 A05327E7 
SI 1E7OAB030820EAFFA04A08FFA04EBD7CAF20DBBD7CA4FEA058FFA04A8D7CEE 
SI  1 E7DC6AF86 1 0B7A0  5FFLA04A09BCA05A27920BBD7  FF0FFA04A7AA05F2  6E89C 
SI  I E7DEI  20OE8D7CA45F5A5AFEA0  58  B6A0  56BI A0SA22  I 586A059B  I A05B220D6  5 
SI  I E7 DFCBCA0SA27 1 508  5CCI 8027 1 620F3BCA05A27  08  09  5AC 1 7F270920F3BDF9 
SI 1E7EI77FF2I77E7F46BD7FF286587E7FFA8D7CA4BD7D57FEA058A6004CA781 
SI 1E7E3200B7A0 60 E600F7A0 6 1 I 1 2608BCA05A27 I A0820ES FFA04A8D789ECEC9 
SI 1E7E4DA060BD7FF00D7FF0FEA04AB6A06020D38IFF26CA39BD7C7ABD7FFB98 
SI  1 E7E68 36BD7FF2327E7F468O7C89FFA04E861 1 8D  588  6 3CB780078D7 FFDB  I 30 
SI  I E7E835326F9BD7FFD8  I 31271  181  3926EE8634B7800786I  38D38397E7C52A2 
SI  I E7E9E7 FAB 5E8DF88002B7A0 5DBD7C67FEA04E8DEBBD7B9B7AA05D2709A7  68 
SI  I E7EB900A1  00260B0820EDFFA84E7CA0SE27B68  63F8D058DC27E7B9E7E7F45 
311 E7E04FA8D7CA486I 28DF6BD7BD5FEA058FFA04CB6A05BB0A04DF6A05AF27F 
SI  I E7EEFA04C26048 1 202502861 F8B04B7A05C8003B7A0  5DBD7865CE7F6IBD70 
SI  I E7F0A7 FCC7FA0 5ECEA05C8D39CEA04C8D44FEA04C8D2F7AA0  5D26FVFFA09A 
SI  I E7F2S4C7  3A0  5ECLA0  5E8DI  FFEA04C09BCA0  5A26AE86S38D97  6 6 390  D938DF2 
St 1E7F407BD5861 4208 C36308D7FE3 3239 37BO7FE309E600 08  FQA05EF7A0  5E61 
St IE7F5833398OEE20EC533I04BD7CA4FEA0SA08FFA04E86I2BD7FFABD7BD5E7 
SI  I E7F7 68  D2C20038D7865C6088  6428D77FEA0  588CA0  5A27 11 A60008FFA0 58 50 
SI  I E7  F9  1 8DI  B8 6468D635A26ES20DEC6648D0686I  42056C64D0 6FF8O505A2648 
SI  I E7FACF9  39  37C 608 360 C465A26FAC608 3246240 66 6508 D3920048  64E8D33B9 
SI  I E7FC7  5A26EF3339A6008 I 0427F98D260S20FS840F8 I 0923028B078B3020F6 
SI  I E7 FE2 1 7A600474747478OECA6000820E78DFI 8 620200 48 DEB20F67 EE  10173 
SI  067 FFD7 EE I AC 72 
S9030000FC 


The  author  can  be  contacted  by  writing  to  William 
E.  Warren,  P.O.  Box  5739,  Sta  F,  Ottawa,  Ontario, 
Canada  K2C  3M1. 


SAMPLE  RUN 


•M  AO 48 
•A048  9C  08 
•A049  FD  3E 
* A04A  OB 

•«*  7E  AE  FF  9DFF  083L  A042 
•0 

READY*LD*  0000  THIS  ISA  TEST  . 

0013  13 

READY*  DD,  0000  THIS  15  A TEST  . 

READY*  L-X,  OOOO 

7OO0  ,07  II  22  33  44  55  66  77  88  99  AA  89  CC  DD  EE  FF 
0010  , 00  1 1 22  33  M 4 NON  MEX  CHARACTER 
ERROR  AT  - 0014  •• •ABORT* •• 

READY*  EM, 3000, 0ei4 

3000  00  II  22  33  44  55  66  77  38  99  AA  DD  CC  DD  EE  FF 
0010  00  II  22  33  00 
RLADY*LM.  0722 
0722  , 12  34 

READY*  SB,  0000,  07 FF,  12  1 SEARCH 

07  2 2 V 

READY*  SV»  0000,  07 FF.  1234  J "OVTINCS 
07  22 

READY*  CM,  0B3E,  084F 

78 3 E 6E  AO  42  8D  32  BD  0C  21  CE  0B  DF  El  00  26  04  Al 
0D4E  01  27 

nLADY*HM,  0B3E,  0B4F,  0000  0011  NEW ENDING  AOORESS 
READY*  CM,  0000.  001  1 

0000  BE  AO  42  8D  32  BD  0C  2E  CE  08  DF  El  00  26  04  Al 
0010  01  27 

READY* CO.  0000,  0045  43  \ 

READY*  CO,  0045,  OOSC  B*>  / OFFSET  CALCULATION 

READY*  CA.0  47 

READY*  CA,  K 4B 

RLADY*  CA,  L 4C 

READY*  TB,  0000,  0003 

BPNNN  *»ptM  FBFW  WJNMJIN  FEW  PNNNft  fM  F8 


READY*  TH.  0000,  07FF 
*£ADY*  TM,  0300.  0FFF 

ERROR  AT  - 0B3E  •••AB0»T"««  ATTEMPT  TO OAMAOE  MONITOR 
READY*  PT,  0300,  0O3F 

siBdooooeBeoaceBooBeoeooooocoooBBBOcooocooooooooooocoooooozeBoaoBBBaocosDC 

512300200000000000000000000000000000000000070000000000000000000303330300801 

9 S 

READY*  TM,  0000,  0TFF 
READY*  CM,  0100,  0I0F 

eioe  ft  rr  rr  rr  ft  ft  ft  ff  ft  ft  ft  ft  ft  ft  ft  ft 

ono 

®£ACY»LT,  0I0OREADY*KH  INVALID  COMMAND 
READY*  CM,  7130.  01  OF 

0130  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00  00 
0110 

READY*  CS,  EID1, 

READY*  PI 
nEADY»  P2 
READY* 

•G 

READY*  INVALID  COMMAND 
READY* 


PROGRAM  LISTING 


aaeai  n* i monitor 


03002 

OPT 

0,  NOG 

00003 

• 

00004 

•M68O0  GP  MONITOR  ’TER 

2.  1 

00005 

•REVISED  JAN 

7/I9T8 

00006 

•VRITTEN  BY 

VILLI  AX 

E.  VARRIN 

00007 

• 

00008 

• 

30009 

• 

00010 

• 

0031  1 

•THIS  VERSION 

1 F0»  4K 

RAX  SYSTIMS 

00012 

• 

00013 

•EQUATES  AND 

REOISTERS 

00014 

• 

00015 

A042 

STACK  EOV 

SA042 

DEFINE  PROGRAM  STACK 

00016 

3007 

PDRCOH  ECU 

S8007 

READER  CONTROL  REGISTER 

00017 

E0D0 

ALIM  ON  ECU 

SL0DC 

ALTERNATE  MONITOR 

00018 

A04A 

ORG 

STACK*® 

e00l9 

A04A 

0002 

BF AMEX 

2 

GENERAL 

00e20 

A04C 

0002 

TEMPT  W1B 

2 

0002 1 

A04E 

0002 

TEH  PX 1 WB 

2 

INDEX 

00022 

AC  50 

0002 

TIMPX2  RIB 

2 

00023 

A052 

0002 

TIM  PX  3 'MB 

2 

REG! STER 

00024 

AO  54 

0002 

TEMPX4  W18 

2 

0002  5 

A056 

0002 

TD1PX5  VMS 

2 

STORAGE 

00026 

A058 

eoo2 

STARTX  RNB 

2 

START  ADDRESS  VECTOR 

00027 

A05A 

eco2 

Cl  OX  RIB 

2 

Cl D ADDRESS  VECTOR 

00028 

A35C 

0001 

FTMCIT  RM8 

1 

FRAMECOLMT  PEGI  STER 

00029 

A0  5D 

0001 

BYTCNT  RMB 

I 

8VTE  COINT  REGI  STER 

00030 

A05E 

0001 

CHKSLM  RMB 

1 

CHECK  SIM  REGISTER 

O0O3I 

A05F 

0031 

COIN TU  RIB 

1 

8 BIT  COltt TER 

00032 

AO60 

0002 

BUFFER  RID 

2 

SPECIAL  STORAGE 

00033 

• 

134  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


00034 

•THIS  MONITOR 

COMMAND  ROUTIME 

00 159 

• 

00035 

•ACCEPTS  TVO- INPUT  COMMAND  MMIMONICS 

00160 

•CONNECTING  JUMPS 

03036 

•THA’  CALL  UP 

THE  REQUIPED  SUBROUTINE 

00161 

• 

0Ce37 

• 

00162 

0C28 

7E 

0B83 

JIM  PI 

JMP 

PABORT 

30035 

•IF  Ail 

ERROR 

IS  MADE  ON  ENTRY 

00163 

9C23 

7E 

0B3L 

JIMP2 

JMP 

MONITR 

000  39 

•THE  TERMINAL 

PPINTS  'INVALID  COMMAND' 

30164 

• 

00040 

•AND  THE  MON  I TOP  IS  REENTERED  . 

00165 

•INPUT 

2 ASCII  CHARACTERS  INTO  B AND  A 

00041 

• 

00166 

• 

00042 

esse 

ORG 

10FFF-14CI 

00167 

0C2E 

BD 

OFFD 

XN2ASC 

JSR 

CINPItT 

FIRST  CHAR 

00043 

• 

00168 

0C3I 

16 

TAB 

PUT  IN  B 

00044 

3B3E 

8E  A042 

MONIT® 

LDS 

# STACK  SET  STACK 

001  69 

0C32 

7E 

0FFD 

INASC 

JMP 

CIMPVT 

FETCH  SECOND  CHAR  AND  RTS 

00245 

0541 

80  32 

BSR 

PRLADY  DO  PROMPT 

00170 

• 

00046 

CD  4 3 

BD  0C2E 

JSR 

IN2ASC  INPUT  COMM  AN  D 5 

00171 

•MAKE  HEX  FROM  DATA  IN 

A 

00047 

0B46 

CE  0BDF 

LDX 

#DATA6  POINT  TO  TA8LE 

00172 

•IF  NON 

l HEX  THEN  DO  ERROR 

00046 

OB  49 

E!  00 

FIJI  DC 

Otr  B 

0.X  1ST  CHA"7 

00173 

•AND  VECTOR  BACK  TO  MONITOR 

00249 

3B4S 

26  04 

we 

NEXT  A NOPE 

00174 

• 

00050 

0840 

Ai  01 

CMP  A 

l*X  2ND  CHAP7 

00175 

0C35 

80 

30 

MAX  HEX 

SUB  A 

#130 

STRIP  ASCII 

00051 

0B4F 

27  0E 

BEO 

FOUNDC  YES 

00176 

0C37 

2B 

0F 

BMI 

NOTH  EX 

00052 

0651 

38 

NEXT  4 

INX 

INCREMENT 

00177 

0C39 

81 

09 

CMP  A 

#109 

0 TO  9 HEX7 

00033 

0852 

08 

XMX 

TO 

00178 

0C3B 

2F 

0A 

BLE 

HEX 

00054 

2353 

28 

I MY 

NEXT 

00179 

0C3D 

81 

II 

CMP  A 

#111 

00055 

0B54 

08 

INX 

COMMAND 

00 180 

0C3F 

2B 

07 

BMI 

NOTH  EX 

00056 

0B55 

8C  0C27 

CPX 

#DATA6E  END  YET7 

3313  1 

0C4I 

81 

16 

CMP  A 

#116 

00057 

0B58 

26  EF 

BN  L 

FIMDC  KEEP  LOOKING 

00I82 

0C43 

2E 

03 

BGT 

NOTMEX 

000  55 

0BSA 

BD  OBBD 

JSR 

I M UAL D INVALID  COMMAND 

00183 

0C45 

SO 

07 

SUB  A 

#107 

00359 

0B5O 

N D P 

BRA 

MON  I TR  BACK  TO  START 

00184 

0C47 

39 

HEX 

RTS 

OK*  EXIT 

00060 

0B5F 

EE  02 

FOtJNOC 

LDX 

2*  X FETCH  ROUTINE  ADDRESS 

00185 

0C4S 

81 

EB 

NOTH  EX 

CMP  A 

#1EB 

'ESC'  KEY7 

00061 

0B6I 

AD  00 

JSR 

0*X  DO  THE  ROUTINE 

00186 

0C4A 

26 

DC 

BN  E 

JIMPi 

HEX  ERROR 

00062 

0B63 

20  D9 

BRA 

MON  I TR  GO  BACK  TO  START 

00167 

0C4C 

20 

DD 

BRA 

JUHP2 

ESCAPE  SELECTED 

00063 

• 

00166 

• 

00064 

• START 

A NEV  LINE 

00189 

•INPUT 

ONE  HEX  INTO  A 

00065 

• 

00 1 90 

• 

00066 

0865 

CE  0B6B 

■ 1 EVL IN 

LDX 

MIEVLCT  POINT  TO  DATA 

00191 

0C4E 

8D 

E2 

XN1HEX 

BSR 

INASC 

FETCH  CHAR 

00067 

0868 

7E  0FCC 

PDATAI 

JMP 

PDATA  PRINT  STRING 

00192 

0CS0 

20 

E3 

BRA 

MAKHEX 

00068 

0B6B 

00 

NEVLDT 

FCB 

10*  IAi  0#  0*  0,  IF F.  0*  0,  0*  4 

00193 

• 

00369 

• 

00194 

•INPUT 

2 HEX 

INTO  A 

0007  0 

• READY*  PRINTOUT  SUBROUTINE 

02195 

•UPDATE  CHECKSUM 

0307  1 

• 

00196 

• 

00072 

0B7  5 

8D  LE 

PR  LADY 

BSR 

NIVLIN  START  NEV  LINE  FIRST 

00197 

0C52 

37 

IN2HCX 

PSH  B 

SAVE  B 

0007  3 

0B77 

CE  0B7C 

LDX 

#DATA2 

00198 

0C53 

8D 

F9 

BSR 

INIHEX 

0007  4 

0B7A 

20  EC 

BRA 

PDATAI  PRINT  STRING 

0CI99 

0C55 

48 

ASL  A 

00075 

0B7C 

52 

DATA2 

FCC 

'READY* ' 

00200 

0C56 

46 

AT.  A 

00076 

0B82 

04 

FCB 

14 

03221 

0C57 

48 

ASL  A 

00077 

• 

00202 

0C58 

48 

ASL  A 

00078 

•ABORT 

PRINTOUT  SUBROUTINE 

00203 

0C59 

16 

TAB 

SHIFT  TO  UPPER  B 

00079 

• 

00204 

0C5A 

8D 

F2 

BSR 

INIHEX 

GET  LOVER 

00030 

0B83 

80  19 

PABORT 

BSR 

PERROR 

00205 

0CSC 

18 

ABA 

MAKE  A BYTE 

00061 

0B8  5 

CE  9 BSC 

LDX 

# DATA 3 

00206 

0C5D 

36 

PSH  A 

SAVE  DATA 

00052 

0B88 

80  DE 

BSR 

PDATAI 

00207 

0CSE 

BB 

AOSE 

ADD  A 

CHKSUM 

FETCH  CHECKSUM 

0008  3 

0B8A 

20  B2 

BRA 

MON  I TR 

00208 

0C61 

B7 

A05E 

STA  A 

CHKStM 

UPDATE 

00084 

CBBC 

2A 

DATA3 

FCC 

'•••ABORT*** ' 

00209 

0C64 

32 

ML 

RESTORE  DATA 

e0085 

0B97 

04 

FCB 

14 

00210 

0C65 

33 

PUL  B 

RESTORE  B 

00086 

• 

00211 

0C66 

39 

RTS 

DONE 

002S7 

•MONITOR  OVERVRITL  PROTECTION  ROUTINE 

00212 

• 

00088 

• 

00213 

•INPUT 

4 HEX 

INTO  X AND 

00089 

0B98 

8C  OBOE 

DANGER 

CPX 

iW  ON  I TR  IS  X NEAR  MONXTOR7 

00214 

•ALSO  STORE  AT  8F4HEX 

00090 

PB9B 

27  E6 

BEO 

PABORT  YES  GET  OUT  OUICK 

00215 

• 

00091 

0890 

39 

RTS 

NO  ITS  OX 

00216 

CC67 

37 

IN  AMEX 

PSH  8 

00092 

• 

00217 

0C68 

36 

PSH  A 

SAVE  ACC 

00093 

•ERROR 

PRINTOUT  SUBROUTINE 

00218 

0C69 

BD 

E7 

BSR 

XN2HDC 

FETCH  HI  BYTE 

00094 

• 

00219 

0C6B 

16 

TAB 

PUT  IN  B 

0009  5 

0B9E 

FT  A04A 

PERROR 

STX 

BF4HEX  SAVE  ADDRESS  OF  ERROR 

90220 

0C6C 

BD 

E4 

BSR 

IN2HEX 

FETCH  LO  8YTE 

0009  6 

0BAI 

BD  0E9  l 

JSR 

OUT  TU1W  OFF  READER!  IF  ON) 

90221 

0C6E 

CE 

A04A 

LDX 

#BF4MEX 

POINT  AT  DATA 

00097 

B8A4 

CE  0BAC 

LDX 

#DATA4  POINT  AT  MESSAGE 

00222 

0C7  1 

E7 

00 

STA  8 

0*X 

00098 

0BA7 

SD  BF 

BSR 

PDATAI  PRINT  IT 

00223 

0C73 

A7 

01 

STA  A 

l*X 

PUT  IN  BUFFER 

00099 

0BA9 

7E  0CB2 

JMP 

LADDR  PRINT  ADDRESS 

00224 

0C7  5 

EE 

00 

LDX 

0*  X 

FETCH  INTO  X 

e0]00 

0BAC 

0D 

DATA4 

FCB 

ID*  SA*  0*  9,0 

00225 

0C77 

32 

PUL  A 

00101 

0B8I 

45 

FCC 

'ERROR  AT  - 

00226 

0C78 

33 

PUL  B 

00102 

08BC 

04 

FCB 

4 

00227 

0C79 

39 

RTS 

00103 

• 

00228 

• 

00104 

•INVALID  COMMAND  MESSAGE 

Wttf 

•CONTINUE  (*: 

> OR  ESCAPE  (ESC) 

30105 

• 

00230 

• 

00106 

0BBD 

CE  0BC3 

IN'JALD 

LDX 

0 I VAPRT 

00231 

0C7A 

8D 

B6 

CONTIN 

BSR 

INASC 

FETCH  CHAR 

00107 

0BC0 

7E  0FCC 

JMP 

PDATA 

002  32 

0C7C 

81 

IB 

CMP  A 

#118 

'ESC  7 * 

00108 

08C3 

20 

I VAPRT 

FCC 

' INVALID  COMMAND 

00233 

0C7E 

27 

AB 

BEO 

JUNP2 

00109 

0BD4 

04 

FCB 

14 

00234 

0C80 

3 1 

2 C 

CMP  A 

#'* 

COMMA  7 

02110 

• 

00235 

0C82 

26 

F6 

EM  E 

CONTIN 

NO  JUST  VAIT 

201 1 1 

•PINCH 

64  MILL  LEADER/TRAILE® 

00236 

0C84 

1") 

RTS 

DONE  * 00 

00112 

• 

00237 

• 

00113 

0BO5 

C6  40 

P64NUL 

LDA  B 

#64 

00238 

•CONTROLLED 

INPUT  2 HEX 

00114 

0BO7 

4F 

PNIL 

CLR  A 

00239 

•IN  FOm  #HH 

001  IS 

0BO6 

90  0FFA 

JSR 

CPRINT 

00240 

• 

00116 

0808 

SA 

DEC  B 

00241 

0C85 

8D 

F3 

C1N2HX 

BSR 

CONTIN 

00117 

0BDC 

26  F9 

91E 

PNtL 

00242 

0C87 

20 

C9 

BRA 

IN  2HEX 

FETCH  BYTE 

00118 

OBOE 

39 

RTS 

00243 

• 

00119 

• 

00244 

•CONTROLLED  : 

INPUT  4 HEX 

20120 

•COMMAND  TABLE 

00245 

•IN  FOm  * HHHH 

00121 

• 

00246 

• 

00122 

0BDF 

4C 

DATA6 

FCC 

'LD'  LOAD  DATA 

00247 

0C89 

BD 

EF 

CIN4HX 

BSR 

CONTIN 

VAIT  FOR  COMMA 

03123 

ODE  1 

0CF3 

FDB 

LODAT 

00248 

0C88 

20 

DA 

BRA 

IN4HEX 

00124 

0BE3 

44 

FCC 

'DD'  DUMP  DATA 

00249 

• 

00125 

0BE5 

2D21 

FDB 

DUDAT 

00250 

•INPUT 

3 SETS  OF  4 HEX 

00126 

CBE7 

4C 

FCC 

*LM  ' LOAD  MEMORY 

00251 

•IN  FOW  .HHHH*  HHHH* HHHH 

00127 

0BE9 

CD26 

FDB 

LOMEM 

00252 

• 

00128 

CBEB 

44 

FCC 

'CM  ' DUMP  MEMORY 

00253 

0C8D 

6D 

FA 

I3HEX4 

BSR 

CIN4HX 

00129 

0BEO 

0D8B 

FDB 

DIM  EM 

00254 

0CBF 

FF 

A04E 

STX 

TEMPXI 

00130 

OBEF 

53 

FCC 

'SB'  SEARCH  MEMORY  FOR  8 BIT  BYTE 

00255 

0C92 

BD 

F5 

BSR 

C1N4HX 

00131 

0DF1 

0068 

FCB 

SEW  EM 

00256 

0C94 

FF 

AO  50 

STX 

TIHPX2 

00132 

0BF3 

43 

FCC 

'CM  ' CLEAR  MEMORY 

00257 

0C97 

80 

F0 

BSR 

CIS  AMY 

00133 

0BF5 

0OSS 

FOB 

CL  W EM 

00258 

0C99 

FF 

A052 

STX 

TIMPX3 

00134 

0BF7 

43 

FCC 

'CS'  CALL  SUBROUTINE 

00259 

0C9C 

39 

RTS 

00135 

0BF9 

0C9D 

FDB 

CAL  SUB 

00260 

• 

00136 

09F8 

4D 

FCC 

RIM  ' MOVE  MEMORY  BLOCKS 

00261 

•CALL 

SUBROUTINE  POINTED  TO 

00137 

0BFD 

0CB8 

FDB 

MOVMEM 

00262 

•BY  ADDRESS 

IN  X 

001  38 

08FF 

53 

FCC 

'SV'  SEARCH  MEMORY  FOR  16  BIT  VORD 

00263 

• 

00139 

OC0I 

0094 

FDB 

SERADD 

00264 

0C9D 

II 

EA 

CAL  SUB 

BSR 

CIN4HX 

FETCH  THE  ADDRESS 

00l4e 

0C03 

4C 

FCC 

*LT ' LOAD  TAPE  WITH  OFFSET 

00265 

0C9F 

AD 

00 

JSR 

0*  X 

JUMP  TO  IT 

00141 

0C05 

0E70 

FDB 

OFLOAD 

00266 

0CA1 

?l 

0B3E 

JMP 

MONITR 

BACK  TO  MONITOR 

00142 

0C07 

50 

FCC 

'PT'  PUNCH  FOWATTED  PAPER  TAPE 

00267 

• 

00143 

0C09 

0EC5 

FDB 

PUN TAB 

00268 

•INPUT 

TVO  SETS  OF  4 HEX 

00144 

0C0B 

54 

FCC 

'TM  ' TEST  MEMORY 

00269 

•IN  FOm  * HHHH*  HHHH 

00145 

0C0O 

0E25 

FDB 

TSTMEM 

00270 

• 

00146 

CC0F 

43 

FCC 

'CO'  CALCULATE  HEX  OFFSET 

00271 

0CA4 

6D 

£3 

IN2HX4 

BSR 

CIN4HX 

00147 

0C1  1 

0DE3 

FDB 

CALOFF 

0027  2 

0CA6 

FF 

AC  58 

STX 

STARTX 

FIRST  ADDRESS 

00148 

0C1 3 

43 

FCC 

'CA'  CONVERT  ASCII  TO  HEX 

0027  3 

0CA9 

6D 

DE 

BSR 

CIN4HX 

001  49 

OC  1 5 

0E62 

FDB 

CflNASC 

00274 

0CA8 

FF 

A0SA 

STX 

ENDX 

SECOND  ADDRESS 

00150 

0CI7 

IB 

FCB 

SIB*  SIB  (ESC*  ESC)  GO  TO  ALTERNATE  MON 

00275 

OCAE 

39 

RTS 

001  5! 

0CI9 

E0O0 

FDB 

ALTMON 

e©270 

* 

00152 

0CI8 

50 

FCC 

'PB'  PUNCH  BN PF  TAPE 

00277 

•START 

NEV  LINE  AND  PRINT  ADDRESS 

03153 

0CIO 

0F64 

FDB 

PWBNF 

00278 

• 

00154 

0CIF 

50 

FCC 

'PI'  GO  TO  PROGRAM  ONE 

00279 

0CAF 

BD 

0865  NLADDR 

JSR 

N EVL I N 

00155 

0C2I 

0B3E 

FDB 

MON I TR  USER  VECTOR  GOES  HERE 

00280 

0C82 

CL 

A04A 

LADDR 

LDX 

#BF4HEX 

POINT  AT  DATA 

C8156 

0C23 

50 

FCC 

'P2 ' GO  TO  PROGRAM  TVO 

00281 

0CB5 

Tl 

0FF6 

JMP 

P4MEXS 

PRINT  IT 

00157 

0C25 

0B3E 

FDB 

M ON I TR  USER  VECTOR  GOES  HERE 

00282 

• 

00158 

0C27 

FF 

DATA6E 

FCB 

S FT  DID  OF  COMMAND  TABLE 

00263 

•MOVE  MEMORY 

BLOCK  ROUTINE 

OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  135 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


00265 

0C88 

6D 

03 

MOVHIM 

BSR 

I3HEX4 

FETCH  PARAMETERS 

00266 

ac  ba 

rt 

A04E 

DRC7MM 

LOT 

TEMPX1 

DIRECT  DITRY  POINT 

00287 

0C8D 

A6 

00 

LDA 

A 

0,X 

SOURCE  DATA 

00286 

0CBF 

BC 

A050 

CPX 

TEMPX2 

00289 

0CC2 

27 

19 

8 EG 

LASTBY 

00290 

0CC4 

08 

INX 

00291 

0CC5 

FF 

A04E 

STX 

TEMPXI 

00292 

0CC8 

FE 

A0  52 

LOX 

TEMPX3 

DESTINATION 

0e29  3 

0CC8 

80 

0896 

JSR 

DANGER 

BE  CAREFUL 

00294 

0CCE 

A7 

00 

STA 

A 

0.  X 

STORE  DATA 

00295 

0CD0 

A 1 

00 

CMP 

A 

e,x 

CHECK  IF  THERE 

00296 

0CD2 

27 

03 

BEQ 

DRCI 

ITS  OK 

00297 

0CD4 

7E 

0B8  3 

JMP 

PABORT 

NO  MEMORY 

00296 

0CO7 

08 

DRCI 

INX 

00299 

0CD6 

FF 

A0S2 

STX 

TIM  PX  3 

e0300 

0CDB 

20 

DD 

BRA 

DRCTMM 

00301 

0CDD 

FE 

AO  52 

LASTBY 

LOX 

TEMPX3 

00302 

0CL0 

A7 

00 

STA 

A 

0/X 

00303 

0CE2 

BO 

0FF2 

JSR 

SPACE 

00304 

0CE5 

CE 

A052 

LDX 

#TD1PX3 

POINT  TO  DATA 

00305 

0CE8 

7E 

0FF6 

JMP 

P4HEXS 

PRINT  IT  AND  EXIT 

60306 

• 

00307 

•LINKS 

00306 

• 

00309 

0CEB 

7E 

0C89 

JIM  P3 

JMP 

CIN4HX 

00310 

0CEE 

7 L 

0C7A 

JIMP4 

JNI 

CONTIN 

0C31  I 

0CF1 

20 

81 

JLMP6 

BRA 

IN2HX4 

00312 

• 

00313 

•LOAD  1 

DATA 

INTO  MEMORY 

00314 

• 

00315 

0CF3 

•D 

F6 

LODAT 

BSR 

JIMP3 

FETCH  DESTINATION  X 

00316 

0CF5 

7 F 

A05F 

CLR 

COINTU 

00317 

0CF8 

BO 

0FFD 

LOOATI 

JSR 

CINPUT 

00318 

0CF8 

5 1 

IB 

CMP 

A 

#5  IB 

"ESC"? 

00319 

0CFD 

27 

IA 

BEQ 

GUI TDA 

00320 

0CFF 

F£ 

A04A 

LDX 

BF4HEX 

FETCH  ADDR 

00321 

0D02 

80 

0898 

JSR 

DANGER 

BE  CAREFUL 

00322 

0D05 

A7 

00 

STA 

A 

0#X 

00323 

0007 

A 1 

00 

CMP 

A 

e#x 

00324 

0D09 

27 

03 

BEG 

L0DAT2 

00325 

0D0B 

TB 

0883 

JMP 

PABORT 

NO  RJM 

00326 

0D0E 

08 

L0DAT2 

INX 

00327 

0D0F 

FT 

A04A 

STX 

8F4MEX 

RESTORE  BUF 

00326 

0DI  2 

7C 

A0SF 

INC 

COUfTU 

INCREMENT  COUNT 

00329 

0DI  5 

.■'7 

02 

BEQ 

GUI TDA 

YES  EXIT 

00330 

0DI7 

20 

DF 

BRA 

LOOATI 

DO  AGAIN 

00331 

0DI9 

BD 

94 

QU1 TDA 

BSR 

NLADDR 

PRINT  ADDR 

00332 

0018 

M 

A0SF 

LDA 

A 

COINTU 

FETCH  BYTE  COUNT 

00333 

001 E 

7E 

0F46 

JMP 

P2HEXA 

PRINT  IT  AND  RTS 

00334 

• 

00335 

•DIMP 

OATA 

ROUTINE 

00336 

• 

00337 

0021 

60 

C8 

DUDAT 

BSR 

JUMPS 

00338 

0023 

7E 

0FCC 

JMP 

PDATA 

PRINT  STRING  UNTIL  EOT 

00339 

• 

00340 

•LOAD  MEMORY 

SEQUENTIALLY 

00341 

•WITH  HEX  DA7A 

00342 

• 

00343 

0026 

BB 

C3 

LOM  EM 

BSR 

JUMPS 

00344 

0026 

7F 

A05F 

LOM  EMI 

CLR 

COINTU 

00345 

0O2B 

BD 

0CAF 

JSR 

NLADDR 

00346 

0D2E 

3L 

BE 

BSR 

JUMP4 

CONTIN 

00347 

0D30 

BD 

0CS2 

LOM  EM  2 

JSR 

IN2HEX 

00348 

0033 

TC 

A05F 

INC 

COINTU 

INCREMENT  BYTE  COUNT 

00349 

0D36 

FE 

A0  4A 

LDX 

BF4HETX 

03350 

0039 

BO 

0B96 

JSR 

DANGER 

BE  CAREFUL 

00351 

0O3C 

A T 

00 

STA 

A 

0#X 

00352 

0D3E 

Hi 

0e 

CMP 

A 

0#  X 

IS  IT  THERE? 

00353 

0040 

27 

03 

BEQ 

LOM  IMS 

YES  OK 

00354 

0D42 

7E 

0B8  3 

JMP 

PABORT 

NOT  THERE 

00355 

0D45 

•a 

LOM  EM  3 

INX 

00356 

0046 

FF 

A04A 

STX 

BF4HEX 

00  357 

0049 

B6 

A05F 

LDA 

A 

COINTU 

00358 

0D4C 

61 

10 

OIP 

A 

#16 

00359 

0D4E 

27 

D6 

BEQ 

LOM  EMI 

00  360 

0050 

BO 

0FF2 

JSR 

SPACE 

00361 

0053 

20 

OB 

BRA 

LCMEM2 

00362 

• 

00363 

•CLEAR 

MEMORY 

ROUTINE 

00364 

• 

00365 

0D5S 

80 

9A 

CL  Wi  EM 

03'' 

JIMP6 

00366 

0057 

FE 

A056 

LDX 

STARTX 

00367 

0D5A 

0 I 

0B98 

CLFM 

JSR 

DANGER 

BE  CAREFUL 

00368 

0D5D 

6 y 

00 

CLR 

0#X 

CLEAR  A LOCATION 

00369 

0D5F 

n G 

A05A 

CPX 

ENDX 

END  YET? 

00370 

0062 

27 

03 

BEQ 

DONE 

YES  EXIT 

00371 

0064 

BB 

INX 

00372 

0D65 

20 

F3 

BRA 

CLW 

0037  3 

0067 

39 

DONE 

RTS 

00374 

• 

0037  5 

•SEARCH  MEMORY  FOR  8 BIT  BYTE 

0037  6 

• 

00377 

0068 

80 

87 

SEW  EM 

BSR 

JINP6 

00376 

0D6A 

FE 

A058 

LDX 

STARTX 

00379 

0060 

FF 

A04A 

STX 

BF4MEX 

00  360 

0070 

BD 

0C6  5 

JSR 

C1N2HX 

00381 

0D73 

16 

TAB 

00382 

007  4 

FE  A04A 

LDX 

BF4MEX 

00383 

0D77 

A6 

00 

SEARCH 

LDA 

A 

e.x 

00384 

0079 

1! 

CBA 

00  385 

0D7A 

2 7 

08 

BEQ 

01  SADD 

00386 

0D7C 

BC 

A0  5A 

CPX 

ENDX 

00387 

0D7F 

27 

E6 

BEQ 

DONE 

00  388 

0081 

0B 

SERI NX 

INX 

00389 

0D82 

BB 

F3 

BRA 

SEARCH 

00390 

0DS4 

FF 

A04A 

01  SADD 

STX 

BF4HEX 

00391 

0067 

37 

PSH 

B 

00392 

0088 

BD 

0CAF 

JSR 

NLADDR 

0039  3 

0088 

33 

PUL 

8 

00394 

0D8C 

FE 

A04A 

LDX 

BF4HLX 

0039  5 

0D6F 

BB 

F0 

BRA 

5ERINX 

00396 

• 

00397 

•LINK 

00398 

• 

00399 

0091 

7E 

0C8D 

JUMP? 

JMP 

I3HEX4 

00400 

• 

00401 

•SEARCH  FOR  1 6 BI T WORD  IN  MEMORY 

00402 

• 

00403 

009  4 

BB 

FB 

SERADD 

BSR 

JIMP7 

INPUT  PARAM ETERS 

00404 

0096 

F B 

A04E 

LOOPDO 

LDX 

TEMPXI 

START  ADDR 

00405 

0099 

BC 

A050 

LOOPAO 

CPX 

TEMPX2 

END  ADDR 

00406 

0D9C 

27 

C9 

BEQ 

DONE 

FINISHED  SO  EXIT 

00407 

009  E 

A6 

00 

LDA 

A 

0#X 

FETCH  HI  BYTE 

00408 

0DA0 

E6 

01 

LDA 

B 

l#X 

FETCH  LO  BYTE 

00409 

0DA2 

BI 

A0S2 

CMP 

A 

TEMPX3 

COMPARE  HI  BYTE 

00410 

0DAS 

26 

05 

WE 

5ERWC 

CONTINUE 

0041  1 

0OA7 

FI 

A053 

Cl' 

B 

TEMPX3*! 

COMPARE  LO  BYTE 

00412 

0DAA 

27 

03 

BEO 

FONDSR 

FOUND  ONE 

00413 

0DAC 

06 

SEREXC 

INX 

00414 

ODAD 

20 

EA 

BRA 

LOO PAG 

DO  AGAIN 

00415 

0OAF 

FF 

A04A 

FONDSR 

STX 

BF4HEX 

SAVE  ADDRESS 

00416 

0OB2 

06 

INX 

00417 

0DB3 

FF 

A04E 

STX 

TEMPXI 

SAVE  NWT  ADDRESS 

00418 

0OB6 

BD 

0CAF 

JSR 

NLADDR 

PRINT  ADDRESS  WHERE  FOUND 

00419 

0DB9 

20 

DB 

BRA 

LOOPDO 

KEEP  GOING 

00420 

• 

00421 

•DUMP  MEMORY 

00422 

• 

00423 

0DBB 

BD 

0CA4 

DIM  IM 

JSR 

1N2MX4 

FETCH  ADDRESS  LIMITS 

00424 

0DBE 

FE 

AO  59 

LDX 

STARTX 

FETCH  START  X 

00425 

0DCI 

FF 

A04A 

CON  TIM 

STX 

8F4HEX 

SAVE  ADDRESS 

00426 

0DC4 

80 

0CAF 

JSR 

NLADDR 

START  NEV  LINE  AND  PRINT  ADDR 

00427 

0DC7 

86 

10 

LDA 

A 

#16 

SET  BYTE  COUNT 

00428 

0DC9 

87 

A05F 

STA 

A 

COINTU 

INTO  REGISTER 

00429 

0DCC 

FE 

A04A 

DUHLOP 

LDX 

BF4IIEX 

FETCH  POINTER 

00430 

0DCF 

09 

DEX 

DOWN  ONE 

00431 

0000 

BC 

A05A 

CPX 

DJDX 

DID  YET? 

00432 

0DD3 

27 

92 

BEC 

DONE 

YES  WIT 

00433 

0005 

06 

INX 

BACK  UP 

00434 

0DD6 

BO 

0FF0 

JSR 

HPRINT 

PRINT  BYTE  POINTED  AT 

00435 

0DD9 

FF 

A04A 

STX 

BF4HEX 

SAVE  POINTER 

00436 

0DDC 

7A 

A05F 

DEC 

COIN  TV 

REDUCE  BYTECOUNT 

00437 

0DDF 

BB 

E8 

WE 

DUNLOP 

KEEP  GOING 

00438 

0DEI 

M 

DE 

BPA 

CONTIN 

LINE  DONE  « DO  AN07HER 

00439 

• 

00440 

•CALCULATE 

0FT5ETS  AND 

PRINT  RESULT 

00441 

•IF  BRANCH 

I S 

OUT  OF  RANGE 

00442 

•AN  *X 

* WILL  BE  PRINTED 

00444 

• 

00445 

0OE3 

CAL  OFF 

BOO 

• 

00446 

0DE3 

BD 

OCA  4 

JSR 

IN2HX4 

FETCH  ADDRESS  LIMITS 

00447 

0DE6 

5F 

CLR 

B 

00448 

0DE7 

5A 

DEC 

B 

00449 

0DE8 

BA 

DEC 

8 

SET  OFFSET  START  VALUE 

00450 

0DE9 

FE 

A056 

LDX 

STARTX 

FETCH  POINTER 

00451 

0DEC 

B6 

A0S6 

LDA 

A 

STARTX 

HI  BYTE 

00452 

ODE  F 

BI 

A0SA 

CMP 

A 

ENDX 

UP  OR  DOWN  ? 

00453 

0DF2 

22 

IS 

BHI 

DECLOP 

NEGATIVE  BRANCH 

00454 

0DF4 

B6 

A059 

LDA 

A 

STARTX* 1 

LO  BYTE 

00455 

0DF7 

81 

A0  5B 

CMP 

A 

DJDX*  1 

UP  OF  DOWN  ? 

00456 

0DFA 

22 

00 

BHI 

DECLOP 

NEGATIVE  BRANCH 

00457 

0DFC 

BC 

A0  5A 

CNLOP 

CPX 

DJDX 

DONE  YET? 

00458 

0DFF 

27 

IS 

BEQ 

DW  CAL 

YES  WIT 

00459 

0E01 

BB 

INX 

INCREMENT  POINTER 

00460 

0E02 

5C 

INC 

B 

INCREMENT  VALUE 

00461 

0E03 

Cl 

80 

CMP 

B 

#560 

OUT  OF  RANGE? 

00462 

0E05 

27 

16 

BEQ 

OUTRAN 

YES 

00463 

0E07 

BB 

F3 

BRA 

CNLOP 

KEEP  GOING 

00464 

0E09 

BC 

A05A 

DECLOP 

CPX 

ENDX 

DWE  YET? 

00465 

0E0C 

27 

08 

BEQ 

DON  CAL 

YES  EXIT 

00466 

0E0E 

09 

DW 

DECREMENT  POINTER 

00467 

0E0F 

5A 

DEC 

S 

DECREMENT  COUNT 

00468 

0EI0 

Cl 

7F 

CMP 

B 

#S7F 

OUT  OF  RANGE? 

00469 

0EI2 

27 

09 

BEQ 

OUTRAN 

YES  WIT 

0047  0 

0EI  4 

20 

F3 

BRA 

DECLOP 

KEEP  GOING 

00471 

0EI6 

BD 

0FF2 

DON  CAL 

JSR 

SPACE 

PRINT  A SPACE 

00472 

0EI9 

17 

TBA 

TRANSFER  VALUE 

0047  3 

0EIA 

7E 

0F46 

JMP 

P2HWA 

PRINT  IT  AND  WIT 

0047  4 

0E1D 

BO 

0FF2 

OUTRAN 

JSR 

SPACE 

0047  5 

0E20 

BB 

58 

LDA 

A 

#'X 

SET  ASCII 

0047  6 

• E22 

TB 

0FFA 

JMP 

CPRINT 

PRINT  IT  AND  EXIT 

00477 

• 

00478 

•TEST  MEMORY 

00479 

• 

00480 

0E2S 

BD 

0CA4 

TSTM  EM 

JSR 

IN2MX4 

FETCH  START  AND  END 

00461 

0E28 

BD 

0057 

JSR 

CL 'M  EM  *2 

CLEAR  MEMORY  FIRST 

00462 

0E2B 

FE 

A056 

AGAIN 

LDX 

STARTX 

00463 

0E2E 

M 

00 

TEST 

LDA 

A 

X 

FETCH  OATA 

00  48  4 

0E30 

4C 

TESTI 

INC 

A 

INCREMENT  A 

0048  5 

0E31 

AT 

00 

STA 

A 

X 

00486 

0E33 

B7 

A060 

STA 

A 

BUFFER 

00487 

0E36 

E6 

00 

LDA 

B 

X 

00488 

0L38 

F7 

A06I 

STA 

B 

BUFFER* 1 

SAVE  FETCHED  VALUE 

00469 

0E3D 

11 

CBA 

00490 

0E3C 

BB 

06 

WE 

TMERR 

00491 

0E3E 

BC 

A05A 

CPX 

DJDX 

00492 

0E4I 

27 

IA 

BEO 

WIT 

00493 

or  43 

08 

INX 

00494 

0E44 

20 

EB 

BPJU 

TEST 

0049  5 

0E46 

FF 

A04A 

TMERR 

STX 

BF4HEX 

00496 

0E49 

BO 

0B9E 

JSR 

PERROR 

00497 

0E4C 

CE 

A060 

LDX 

#BUFFER 

SET  X TO  VALUES 

00496 

0E4F 

BO 

0FFO 

JSR 

HPRINT 

PRINT  FI  RST  TWO 

00499 

0E52 

BD 

0FF0 

JSR 

HPRINT 

AND  SECOND  TWO 

00500 

0E55 

FE 

A04A 

LDX 

BF4HEX 

RESTORE  X 

00501 

0E5S 

B6 

A060 

LDA 

A 

BUFFER 

RESTORE  DATA 

00502 

0E5B 

20 

03 

ORA 

TESTI 

00503 

0E5D 

61 

FF 

WIT 

CMP 

A 

#1FF 

ALL  PATTEWS  YET? 

00504 

0E5F 

26 

CA 

WE 

AO  AIN 

NO  DO  AGAIN 

00505 

0E61 

39 

RTS 

00506 

• 

00507 

•CONVERT  ASCII  TO  HEX 

00508 

• 

00509 

0E62 

CON  ASC 

EOU 

• 

00518 

0E62 

BD 

0C7A 

JSR 

CONTIN 

0051 1 

0E6S 

BD 

0FFD 

JSR 

CINPUT 

00512 

0E68 

36 

CONI 

PSH 

A 

00513 

0E69 

BD 

0FF2 

JSR 

SPACE 

00514 

0E6C 

32 

PUL 

A 

0051  S 

0E6D 

7E 

0F46 

JMP 

P2HEXA 

00516 

• 

00517 

•OFFSET  LOADER  ROUTINE 

00516 

•IN  FOFHAT 

LT#  DDDD 

00519 

•WHERE 

D IS  DESTINATION 

00520 

• 

00521 

0E70 

OFLOAD 

EOU 

• 

00522 

0E70 

BO 

0C89 

JSR 

CIN4HX 

FETCH  ACTUAL  STORAGE  ADDRESS 

00523 

0E7  3 

FF 

A04E 

STX 

TEMPXI 

SET  POINTER 

00524 

0E76 

66 

1 1 

LDA 

A 

#11  1 

00525 

0E78 

8D 

56 

BSR 

PRINT 

TURN  ON  READER  COMMAND 

00526 

0E7A 

BI 

3C 

LDA 

A 

#S3C 

00527 

0E7C 

B7 

6007 

STA 

A 

R DR CON 

TUW  ON  RELAY 

00528 

0E7F 

BD 

0FFD 

OLIN 

JSR 

CINPUT 

FETCH  A CHARACTER 

00529 

0E62 

61 

53 

CMP 

A 

##S 

START? 

00530 

0L84 

26 

F9 

WE 

OLIN 

NOT  YET 

00531 

0E66 

BO 

0FFD 

JSR 

CINPUT 

ANOTHER 

00532 

0L89 

81 

31 

CMP 

A 

#*1 

136  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  APPLICATION 


00533 

0E8B 

27 

11 

BEO 

LOAD 

OK  START 

00534 

CE8D 

81 

39 

CMP 

A 

#'  9 

DJ  D? 

00535 

3E8F 

26 

EE 

ONE 

OL  IN 

NO  KEEP  LOOKI 

00536 

0E9 1 

86 

34 

OUT 

LDA 

A 

#834 

TURN  OFF  READER 

00537 

0E93 

87 

8007 

STA 

A 

RDRCON 

TURN  OFF  READER 

00538 

0E96 

06 

13 

LDA 

A 

#813 

00539 

0E90 

80 

36 

BSR 

PRINT 

READER  OFF  COMMAND 

00540 

0E9A 

39 

RTS 

EXIT 

00541 

0E9B 

7E 

0CS2 

INHEX2 

JMP 

1N2HEX 

00542 

0E9E 

7 F 

A05E  LOAD 

CL  R 

CM  K SIM 

RESET  CHECK  SIM 

00543 

0EAI 

1 D 

F8 

BSR 

INHEX2 

FETCH  CHARACTER  COINT 

00544 

0EA3 

Bfl 

02 

SUB 

A 

#2 

SUBTRACT  TWO 

00545 

0EA5 

Q? 

A05D 

STA 

A 

BYTOIT 

SET  BYTE  COINT 

00546 

0EA8 

BD 

0C67 

JSR 

IN4HEX 

FETCH  ADDRESS 

00547 

0EAB 

FE 

A04E 

LDX 

TIM  PX 1 

USE  NEV  OFFSET  ADDRESS 

00  540 

0EAE 

ar 

ES 

LOADST 

BSR 

INHEX2 

FETCH  A DATA  BYTE 

00  549 

0EB0 

BD 

0B98 

JSR 

DANGER 

BE  CAREFUL 

00550 

0EB3 

7A 

A05D 

DEC 

BYTCNT 

REDUCE  BYTECOUJT 

00551 

0EB6 

27 

09 

BEQ 

CHECK 

IF  LINE  I S FILL 

00552 

0E38 

A7 

00 

STA 

A 

X 

MO  JUST  PUT  IN  M DIO  RY 

00553 

OEBA 

A 1 

00 

CMP 

A 

X 

IS  IT  THERE7 

00554 

0EBC 

26 

0B 

ait 

ABORT 

NO  MUST  BE  ROM 

00555 

0EBE 

M 

INX 

00556 

0EBF 

20 

ED 

BRA 

LOADST 

OK  KEEP  STORING 

00557 

0EC 1 

ff 

A04E 

CHECK 

STX 

TEMPXI 

SAVE  STORAGE  POINTER 

00558 

0EC4 

7C 

A05E 

INC 

CHKSUM 

CHECK  SIM  OK? 

00559 

0EC7 

27 

B6 

BEO 

OLIN 

YES  IT  IS 

00560 

0EC9 

86 

3F 

ABORT 

LDA 

A 

#83F 

00561 

0ECB 

8D 

05 

BSR 

PRINT 

PRINT  "7* 

00562 

0ECD 

31 

C2 

BSR 

OUT 

00563 

0ECF 

7E 

0B9E 

JMP 

PERROR 

00564 

0ED2 

7E 

OFF  A 

PRINT 

JMP 

CPRINT 

00565 

• 

00566 

•OBJECT  CODE 

DUMP  ROUTINE 

00567 

• 

00568 

BEDS 

BD 

0CA4 

PIW  TAB 

JSR 

IN2HX4 

FETCH  ADDRESS  PARAMETERS 

00569 

0ED8 

86 

12 

LDA 

A 

#812 

SET  DATA 

0057  0 

0EDA 

8D 

F6 

BSR 

PRINT 

START  PINCH 

00571 

0EDC 

u 

0BDS 

JSR 

P6*JUL 

FEED  OUT  LEADER 

0057  2 

0EDF 

FE 

A 058 

LDX 

STARTX 

FETCH  ADDRESS 

0057  3 

0EE2 

FF 

A04C 

STX 

TIM  PX 

SAVE  IT 

00  57  4 

BEES 

B6 

A05B 

DIM! 

LDA 

A 

BJDX*I 

00575 

0EE8 

B0 

A04D 

SUB 

A 

TIMPX*  1 

00576 

0EEB 

F6 

A05A 

LDA 

B 

DJ  DX 

00577 

0EEE 

FC 

A04C 

SBC 

B 

7IMPX 

00570 

0EFI 

26 

04 

ait 

DIM  2 

00579 

0EF3 

81 

20 

CMP 

A 

#32 

32  BYTES  PER  RECORD 

00  500 

0EF5 

25 

02 

BC  S 

DIM  3 

00  581 

0EF7 

86 

IF 

DUK  2 

LDA 

A 

#31 

00  582 

0EF9 

M 

04 

DIM  3 

ADD 

A 

#4 

00583 

0EFB 

B7 

A0  5C 

STA 

A 

FRMOJT 

SET  FRAME  COINT 

00584 

0EFE 

80 

03 

SUB 

A 

#3 

00585 

0F00 

B7 

A0  5D 

STA 

A 

BYTOIT 

SET  BYTE  COINT 

00586 

0F03 

BD 

0B6S 

JSR 

NEWL1N 

START  NEW  LINE 

00587 

OF06 

CE 

0F6 1 

LDX 

#TPSTRG 

POINT  AT  TAPE  STRING 

00588 

0F09 

BD 

0FCC 

JSR 

PDATA 

PRINT  THE  STRING 

00509 

0F0C 

7 F 

A05E 

CLR 

CHKSUM 

00590 

OFCF 

CE 

A0SC 

LDX 

JFfMOJT 

00591 

OF  12 

8D 

39 

BSR 

0UT2H 

PRINT  FPAK  ECO  IN  T 

00592 

0FI4 

CE  A04C 

LDX 

#T!MPX 

FETCH  POINTER 

00593 

0F17 

8D 

44 

BSR 

0UT4HX 

PRINT  ADDRESS 

00594 

0F19 

FE  A04C 

LDX 

TIM  PX 

SET  POINTER 

00595 

0FIC 

8D 

2F 

DIM  4 

BSR 

0UT2H 

PRINT  THE  DATA 

00596 

0F1E 

7A 

AOSD 

DEC 

BYTCNT 

REDUCE  BYTE  COUNT 

00597 

0721 

26 

F9 

B4E 

DIM  4 

KEEP  DUMPING 

e0598 

0F23 

FF 

A04C 

STX 

TIM  PX 

SAVE  ADDRESS  POINTER 

00599 

0F26 

73 

A05E 

COM 

CHKSUM 

INVERT 

00600 

0F29 

Cc 

AOSE 

LDX 

#CMXSIM 

SET  POINTER 

00601 

•F2C 

8D 

IF 

BSR 

0UT2H 

PRINT  CHECKSUM 

00602 

• F2E 

FE 

A04C 

LDX 

TIM  PX 

FETCH  ADDRESS 

00603 

0F3I 

pp 

DEX 

BACK  ONE 

00604 

0F32 

BC 

A05A 

CPX 

DJ  DX 

WAS  IT  THE  DID* 

00605 

0735 

2 6 

AE 

WE 

DIM  1 

NO  KEEP  GOING 

00606 

0F37 

86 

53 

LDA 

A 

#'S 

SET  AN  S 

00607 

0F39 

8D 

97 

BSR 

PRINT 

PRINT  IT 

00600 

0F3B 

86 

39 

LDA 

A 

#'9 

AND  A NINE 

00609 

0F3D 

BD 

93 

BSR 

PRINT 

PRINT  ALSO 

00610 

0F3F 

BD 

0BD5 

JSR 

P6  4NLL 

FEED  OUT  TRAILER  AND  RTS 

00611 

OF  42 

86 

14 

LDA 

A 

#814 

SET  DATA 

00612 

0F44 

20 

8C 

BRA 

PRINT 

TURN  OFF  PUNCH 

00613 

00614 

0061 5 

00616 

00610  0F46  36 

00619  0F47  30 

00620  0F48  BD  0FE3 

00621  0F4B  32 

00622  0F4C  39 

00623 

00624 

00625 

00626 
00627 
00620 


•OUTPUT  TWO  HEX  FROM  DATA  IN  A 
•X  REGISTER  ALTERED 


P2HEXA  PSH  A 
TSX 

JSR  P2HX0A 

PUL  A 

RTS 


SAVE  A DATA 
POINT  AT  DATA 
PRINT  IT 
RESTORE  STACK 
EXIT 


•OUTPUT  TWO  HEX  CHARACTERS 
•FROM  DATA  POINTED  AT  BY  X 
•CHECK SIM  IS  UPDATED 
•X  IS  INCRIMINTED  ONCE 


00629 

0F4D 

37 

0UT2H 

PSH 

B 

SAVE  B 

00630 

0F4E 

BD 

0FE3 

JSR 

P2HXDA 

PRINT  THE  DATA 

00631 

0F51 

09 

DEX 

BACK  ONE  ADDRESS 

00632 

0F52 

E6 

00 

LDA 

B 

0#  X 

00633 

0F54 

08 

INX 

00634 

0F55 

F B 

AOSE 

ADD 

B 

CHKSUM 

00635 

0F58 

F7 

AOSE 

STA 

B 

CHKSUM 

RESTORE  CHECKSUM 

00636 

0F5B 

33 

PUL 

8 

RESTORE  B REG 

00637 

0F5C 

39 

RTS 

•OUTPUT  FOUR  HEX  CHARACTERS 
•FROM  ADDRESS  POINTED  AT  BY  X 
•CHECK SIM  UPDATED  ACCORDINGLY 
•X  IS  INCRIMINTED  TWICE 


0UT4HX  BSR 
BRA 


•TAPE  FOJMAT  STRING 


DO  FIRST  BYTE 

DO  THE  SECOND  AND  EXIT 


•BNPF  TAPE  PlWCH  ROUTINE  FOR  S BIT  PROMS 

• FOW1AT  SUITABLE  FOR  MOST  MDS  READERS 

• SELECT  PARAM ETEP.S  IN  FOW  PB#  SSSS#  EEEE 
•WERE  5 IS  START  ADDRESS  AN  E I S END  ADDRESS 
•INCLUSIVE.  LEADERS  JWJD  TRAILERS  ARE 

•WHITT IN  TO  TAPE  AND  THE  TAPE  IS  PINCHED 
•WITH  8 1/2  INCH  FOLD  MARKS 


FETCH  PARAMETERS 
FETCH  END 
AND  ADD  ONE 
TO  IT  AND  STORE 
SET  DATA 

TO  TURN  PUNCH  ON 

DO  NIL  LEADER 

DO  RUBOUTS 

SKIP  NEW  LINE 

START  NEW  LINE 

SET  BYTE  COCMT  PER  LINE 

SET  ASCII 

PRINT  A B 

FETCH  POINTER 

END  YET7 

YES  IT  IS 

FETCH  THE  DATA 

IN CREMDJT  POINTER 

SAVE  X AGAIN 

PRINT  A BYTE 

SET  ASCII 

PRINT  AN  F 

DECRIM D«T  BYTE  COINT 

KEEP  GOING 

LINE  DONE  DO  ANOTHER 
SET  COINT 
DO  RUBOUTS 
SET  CONTROL 

TURN  OFF  PINCH  AND  EXIT 

SET  COINT 

SET  ALL  ONES 

PRINT  A RUBOUT 

REDUCE  COINT 

AND  KEEP  GOING  TILL  DONE 

ITS  DONE 


PRINTER  ROUTINE 


0FAE  37 
0FAF  C6  00 
0FBI  36 
0FB2  0C 
0FB3  46 
0FB4  SA 
0FB5  26  FA 
0FB7  C6  00 
0FB9  32 
0FBA  46 
0FBB  24  06 
0FBD  06  50 
0FBF  0D  39 
0FC1  20  04 
0FC3  06  4E 
0FC5  0D  33 
0FC7  5A 
OFC0  26  EF 
0FCA  33 
0FCB  39 


BITLOP  PSH  B 
LDA  B 
PIN  B I PSH  A 
CL  C 
ROR  A 
DEC  B 
»IE 
LDA  B 
PUJN82  PUL  A 
ROR  A 
BCC 
LDA  A 
BSR 
BRA 

PINB3  LDA  A 
BSR 

PINB4  DEC  B 

MS 

PUL  B 

POUT  RTS 


SAVE  B REGISTER 

SET  BIT  LOOP  COINT 

PUSH  ON  STACK 

CLEAR  CARRY 

SHIFT  RIGHT 

REDUCE  COINT 

NOT  DONE  YET 

SET  BIT  COUNT  AGAIN 

FETCH  A BYTE  OFF  STACK 

SHIFT  INTO  CARRY 

NOT  A ONE 

SET  ASCII 

PRINT  A P 

SKIP 

SET  ASCII 
PRINT  AN  N 
REDUCE  01  TCOINT 
NOT  DONE  YET 
RESTORE  B 
EXIT  » BYTE  DONE 


•PRINT  AM  ASCII  DATA  STRING 
•INCREMENT  X ONCE  EACH  CHARACTER 
•EXIT  WHEN  EOT  DJ COUNTERED 


00722 

0FCC 

P DATA 

EOU 

• 

007  23 

0FCC 

A6 

00 

LDA 

A 

X 

FETCH  THE  DATA 

00724 

0FCE 

81 

04 

CMP 

A 

#4 

IS  IT  EOT? 

00725 

0FD0 

27 

F9 

BEQ 

POUT 

YUP 

00726 

0FD 2 

B9 

26 

BSR 

CPRINT 

PRINT  THE  CHARACTER 

007  27 

0FD4 

08 

INX 

UP  ONE  ADDRESS 

00728 

0FD5 

20 

F5 

BRA 

PDATA 

DO  IT  AGAIN 

09729 

• 

007  30 

•PRINT 

CHARACTER  IN  A 

007  31 

• 

00732 

0FD7 

HEXPRT 

EOU 

• 

00733 

0FDT 

84 

CF 

AN  D 

A 

#800001111  MASK  UPPER  BITS 

007  34 

0FD9 

SI 

09 

CMP 

A 

#9 

CHECK  RANGE 

007  35 

0FD8 

23 

02 

3L6 

HEXI 

0 TO  9 

007  36 

0FDD 

8B 

07 

ADD 

A 

#7 

A TO  F 

007  37 

0FDF 

•1 

30 

HEX  1 

ADD 

A 

#8001  10000  MAKE  INTO  ASCII 

007  38 

0FEI 

20 

17 

BRA 

CPRINT 

PRINT  THE  HEX 

007  39 
007  40 
007  41 
007  42 
007  43 

007  44  0FE3 
00745  0FE5 
007  46  0FE6 
00747  0FE7 
C07  48  OFE0 
007  49  OF E9 

00750  0FED 
007  51  0FED 
00752  0FEE 
007  53 

007  54 
007  55 
007  56 

007  57  0FF0 
007  58  OFF 2 
007  59  0FF4 
007  60 

00761 

00762 
007  63 

00764  3FF6 

00765  0FF8 
007  66 

00767 

00768 

00769 

00770 

00771  0FFA 
0077  2 
00773 
0077  4 

00775 

00776 

00777 
00776 

00779  OFF D 

00780 

00751 


•PRINT  TV 0 HEX  CHARACTERS 
•FROM  DATA  POINTED  TO  BY  X 


0FE3  P2HXDA  EOU 


0FE3  A6  00 
0FE5  47 
0FE6  47 
0FE7  47 
0FE0  47 
0FE9  0D  EC 
0FEB  A6  00 
0FED  OB 
0FEE  20  E7 


FETCH  THE  DATA 


ASR  A DO  UPPER  NIBBLE 

BSR  HEXPRT  PRINT  ONE  HEX 

LDA  A X FETCH  THE  DATA  AGAIN 

INX  INCREMENT  ADDRESS 

BRA  HEXPRT  PRINT  SECOND  HEX  AND  EXIT 

•PRINT  TWO  HEX  M.US  SPACE 

M PRINT  EOU  • 

BSR  P2HXDA  PRINT  THE  BYTE 

SPACE  LDA  A #820  SET  DATA 

BRA  CPRINT  PRINT  SPACE  AND  EXIT 

• 

•PRINT  4 HEX  PLUS  SPACE 

P4HIXS  EOU  • 

BSR  P2HXDA  FIRST  BYTE 

BRA  HPRINT  SECOND  BYTE  AND  EXIT 

• 

•OUTPUT  ONE  CHARACTER  IN  #A # 

•B  AND  X UJ ALTERED 

CPRINT  ECU  • 

JMP  8EIDI  OR  OTHER  USER  VECTOR 

• 

•INPUT  ONE  CHARACTER  FROM  #A ' 

•B  AND  X (HALTERED 
•BIT  7 OF  'A*  ACCUMULATOR 
•M  ASX  ED  TO  A 0 

CINPUT  EOU  • 

JMP  8EIAC  OR  OTHER  USER  VECTOR 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  137 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  DEVELOPMENT 


A Text  Editor  for  the 


INTRODUCTION 

Extended  BASIC  interpreters  and  some  assembler 
packages  come  with  a full  text  editor  that  makes  it  rela- 
tively easy  to  correct  typing  errors.  On  the  other  hand, 
4-K  and  8-K  BASICS  have  only  limited  editing  capabili- 
ties. The  Processor  Technology  Software  Package  1 (SP 1) 
and  the  Westminster  Byte  Shop  XEK  package  have  edit- 
ing features  that  are  similar  to  the  smaller  BASICS.  This 
article  describes  a full  text  editor  that  can  be  patched  in- 
to the  SP  1 and  XEK  packages. 

THE  SP  1 AND  XEK  PACKAGES 

Processor  Technology  has  made  available  to  the 
public  the  source  listing  of  their  SP  1.  The  monitor  por- 
tion contains  the  usual  commands  to  enter  hexadecimal 
numbers  into  memory,  dump  a portion  of  memory  to  the 
console,  move  a block  of  memory,  and  branch  to 
another  program.  (SP  1 was  reviewed  in  the  October 
1976  issue  of  INTERFACE  AGE.)  The  Byte  Shop  XEK 
assembler  package  is  largely  based  on  SP  1 except  that 
it  is  disk  oriented.  It  was  reviewed  in  the  June  1978  issue 
of  INTERFACE  AGE. 

A LIMITED  EDITOR 

Both  of  these  packages  have  provisions  for  two  types 
of  limited  editing;  one  is  character  oriented,  the  other  is 
line  oriented.  If  a mistake  is  noticed  immediately  after 
typing  it,  the  DEL  (or  RUB)  key  can  be  pressed.  This 
prints  a backarrow  (or  underline  on  some  terminals)  and 
deletes  the  character  from  the  input  buffer.  If  the  output 
is  sent  to  a PTCo  video  display  module  (VDM),  the  cursor 
backs  up  on  the  screen.  Of  course,  the  DEL  key  can  be 
pressed  repeatedly  to  delete  more  than  one  character. 

REPLACING  AN  ENTIRE  LINE 

If  an  error  is  not  noticed  until  after  the  line  is  com- 
pleted, the  entire  line  has  to  be  retyped.  But  if  the  com- 
puterist  is  not  an  expert  typist,  another  error  may  be 
made  when  retyping  the  line.  It  is  difficult  to  produce 
error-free  text  with  such  a limited  editor. 

A FULL  TEXT  EDITOR 

To  make  the  SP  1 and  XEK  packages  more  useful,  this 
author  has  written  a full  text  editor  that  can  be  easily 
patched  in.  Briefly,  the  editor  uses  the  line-replacement 
software  present  in  these  packages.  The  line  to  be 
edited  is  first  located  in  the  file  buffer,  copied  to  the  in- 
put buffer,  edited  while  in  the  input  buffer,  then  copied 
back  to  the  file  buffer.  The  last  step  is  easily  accom- 
plished by  making  the  main  package  think  that  the 
edited  line  has  been  entered  from  the  console. 


THE  EDIT  COMMANDS 

The  edit  commands  are  similar  to  those  used  in  the 
extended  BASIC  distributed  by  MITS  and  TDL.  If  line 
1130  is  to  be  edited,  give  the  command: 

CUST  1130 


for  SP  1 or: 

W 1130 

for  the  XEK  package.  The  file  area  is  searched  for  the  re- 
quested line.  If  no  such  line  exists,  an  error  message  is 
printed,  and  control  returns  to  the  monitor.  If  the  line  is 
found,  it  is  copied  into  the  input  buffer,  and  the  line 
number  is  printed  on  the  console.  During  the  editing 
session,  the  H,L  register  pair  is  used  as  a buffer  pointer. 

Pressing  the  space  bar  will  print  the  next  character 
and  advance  the  pointer  one  byte.  Additional  pressing  of 
the  space  bar  will  successively  display  the  entire  line. 
However,  there  is  a better  way  to  view  the  text. 

LOOK: 

L Typing  an  L will  display  the  remainder  of  the  line, 
output  a carriage  return,  a line  feed  and  print  the 
4-digit  line  number  to  await  the  next  command. 

ADDITIONAL  COMMANDS  ARE: 

SEARCH: 

S Typing  an  S followed  by  a character  contained  in 
the  line  will  move  the  cursor  to  this  character  and 
print  the  intervening  characters. 
nS  Typing  a number  from  1 to  9 before  the  S will  move 
the  cursor  to  the  n-th  occurrence  of  the  input 
character. 

DELETE: 

D Typing  a D will  delete  the  next  character  and  em- 
bed it  in  a pair  of  backslash  characters. 
nD  Typing  a number  from  1 to  9 ahead  of  the  D will 
delete  the  next  n characters.  The  group  of  deleted 
characters  is  embedded  in  backslashes. 

INSERT: 

I Typing  an  I followed  by  a string  of  characters  will 
cause  these  characters  to  be  inserted  into  the  line 
at  the  cursor  position.  Error  correction  can  be 
made  at  this  time  with  the  DEL  key,  just  as  during 
the  initial  entry  of  the  line.  A backarrow  is  printed 
for  each  character  deleted.  On  a PTCo  VDM  screen 
the  cursor  is  backed  up  deleting  the  character 
from  the  screen. 

The  insert  mode  is  terminated  one  of  two  ways:  by 
pressing  the  ESC  key,  in  which  case  editing  may 
continue,  or  by  typing  a carriage  return  in  which 
case  control  returns  to  the  monitor. 

X Typing  an  X moves  the  cursor  to  the  end  of  the  line 
and  starts  the  insert  mode.  This  command  is  used 
to  add  characters  to  the  end  of  a line. 

REPLACE: 

R The  R command  is  a combination  of  delete  and  in- 
sert. A single  R will  delete  the  present  character, 
embedding  it  in  backslashes,  then  enter  all  addi- 
tional characters  into  the  input  buffer  until  an  ESC 
or  carriage  return  command  is  given. 
nR  Typing  a number  from  1 to  9 ahead  of  the  R will 
delete  the  next  n characters  before  entering  the 
edit  mode. 


138  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  DEVELOPMENT 


XEK  and  PTCo  Assemblers 

By  Alan  R.  Miller,  Contributing  Editor 


QUIT: 

Q Typing  a Q will  return  control  to  the  monitor 
without  altering  the  original  line.  This  command  is 
used  whenever  the  edited  line  has  become  a mess, 
and  there  is  a need  to  start  over. 

CARRIAGE  RETURN: 

A carriage  return  will  cause  the  edited  line  to 
replace  the  original  line  in  the  tile.  This  is  the  nor- 
mal exit  from  the  editor. 

Improper  editor  input  will  ring  the  console  bell.  If  an 
error  is  made  in  the  repeat  factor  preceding  the  S,  D,  or 
R,  type  the  correct  value,  then  the  S,  D,  or  R.  Only  the 
last  repeat  factor  will  be  used.  Repeat  factors  in  front  of 
other  edit  commands  are  ignored. 

A SAMPLE  EDIT 

The  following  example  illustrates  the  use  of  the 
editor.  Line  1 defines  a file  named  TEST  starting  at  ad- 
dress 8000  HEX.  Line  2 is  the  system  response  to  line  1. 
Lines  3 and  4 were  entered  from  the  keyboard  into  the 
file  named  TEST.  The  text  editor  is  invoked  at  line  5 for 
the  editing  of  line  1010  in  the  file.  The  typing  of  an  “L” 
(for  look)  displays  the  entire  line  (line  6).  The  command 
“SD”  at  line  7 moves  the  cursor  to  the  first  occurrence 
of  the  character  "D”  and  prints  the  intervening  charac- 
ters. A ‘‘4D”  command  deletes  the  next  four  characters 
and  embeds  them  in  backslashes  (line  7).  An  entry  of 
"L”  prints  the  remainder  of  the  line  and  a second  “L" 
(line  8)  prints  the  revised  line. 

For  line  9,  an  “SC”  command  moves  the  cursor  to  the 
letter  C,  and  an  “112345”  inserts  the  five  numbers.  An 
ESC  and  an  “L"  finish  line  9.  At  line  10,  a "2SD"  com- 
mand moves  the  cursor  to  the  second  occurrence  of  the 
letter  D.  A "2R"  command  deletes  the  next  two  charac- 
ters, then  the  1236  are  inserted,  followed  by  a DEL  to 
delete  the  6 so  that  a 4 can  be  entered.  An  ESC  and  "L” 
finish  line  10.  A second  “L”  displays  the  current  version 
(line  11).  Line  12  illustrates  the  use  of  the  “X”  command 
to  add  characters  to  the  end  of  the  line.  Here  the  final  8 
was  deleted  with  the  DEL  key.  An  ESC  and  an  "L"  pro- 
duces line  13,  and  a carriage  return  finishes  the  edit 
mode,  printing  the  line  in  its  final  form.  Control  then 
passes  to  monitor  (line  15). 

The  list  command  shows  both  lines  in  the  file.  Line 
1010  is  now  the  edited  version  (line  17).  Line  1000  is 
edited  next  (line  18).  The  "L"  command  looks  at  the  line 
(line  19).  A “3ST”  followed  by  an  “RN”  and  an  ESC 
replaces  the  letter  T with  an  R.  Additional  editing  pro- 
duces line  23  which  is  then  scrapped  with  the  “Q”  com- 
mand. The  next  list  command  shows  that  the  original 
line  1000  was  unaltered  by  the  last  edit  (line  16  vs.  line  26). 

PATCHING  IN  THE  EDITOR 

SP  1 has  an  extra  command  "CUST"  which  causes  a 
branch  to  address  E000  HEX.  If  your  SP  1 is  not  in  PROM, 
you  can  change  the  CUST  command  to  EDIT  using  the 
monitor  features  of  SP  1.  The  address  to  patch  is  F28D. 
Give  the  command: 


ENTR  F28D  (carriage  return) 

then  type: 

45  44  49  54/ 

the  ASCII  representation  of  the  letters  EDIT.  Now  the 
command: 

EDIT  1010  (carriage  return) 

can  be  given  to  edit  line  1010.  If  this  editor  must  be 
assembled  at  another  location,  put  the  new  address  into 
SP  1 at  address  F291  HEX. 

Patching  XEK  is  a little  more  involved.  All  the  letters  A 
through  Z are  used  for  other  commands.  But  since  there 
are  two  different  sets  of  cassette  commands,  one  has 
been  converted  (the  W command)  for  use  with  the  editor. 
Patch  location  32F0  HEX  with  the  address  of  the  text 
editor.  Then  the  command: 

W 1010 

can  be  used  to  edit  line  1010. 

THE  ASSEMBLY  LISTING 

The  editor  shown  in  the  assembly  listing  is  assembled 
for  use  with  the  XEK  package.  The  only  special  patch  is 
the  equate  CONIN  which  must  be  the  console  input  rou- 
tine. This  is  necessary  since  XEK  won’t  accept  the  ESC 
command.  The  editor  can  be  reassembled  for  SP  1 by 
changing  the  equate  XEKVER  from  TRUE  to  FALSE. 

After  writing  this  text  editor,  the  small  size  may  be  a 
surprise  (just  over  300  bytes).  One  wonders  why  text 
editors  are  not  put  into  more  programs.  Editors  for 
assemblers  are  simpler  than  those  for  BASIC.  This  is 
because  most  BASICS  convert  reserved  words  such  as 
FOR,  NEXT  and  GOTO  to  single  bytes.  A BASIC  text 
editor  has  to  first  unpack  each  line,  converting  it  back  to 
the  original.  Then  after  the  line  is  edited,  it  must  be 
repacked  before  being  placed  back  into  the  file  buffer.D 


SAMPLE  RUN 

t "TEST"  6000 
T15T  8000  60C0 

IO0C  ; CD2ANSTPAT1AI2  Sf  TEXT  LOITAP 
1010  2 APCDEf GABCDEFOABCDEFG 

V 1010 

1010  ; APCOEF  GABCOLFGAbCLEF  L> 

1010  2 ABCNL-EFG\APCDLf  GABCOLFC 

1010  2 AB  CAL' CLEF  CAB  CD  LI  0 

1010  2 API2345CAPCDFFCAPCLUG 

1010  2 ABl234SCABC0LFGAPC\LE\  I23f-4FG 

1010  2 ABI23«SCABCDE>GAeCl23«>G 

1010  2 AP 123««CA8CDEFGAEC l 234*05678- 

1010  2 Air  I 2 345 CAB CLEF  GAtC  I234FG5£7 

1010  2 At  I 234SCAPC0EFGAPC 1234FC567 

P 

1000  2 DD2AN  STRATI  A*2  AF  TEXT  ED1T3P 
1010  2 ABI2343CABC0EF GABC|234FG*67 

V tooo 

10CO  2 DL1A M 5 TPAT I AN  AF  TEXT  EOITJP 

10C0  2DB4M STRATUM  Jf  \T\NEXT  EDI  TAP 

1000  J DEN3M STRATI AN  AF  2 EXT  EDI  TAP  ADD  TA  LND 

IC00  ; D&lAMSTRATlAN  AF  V2EXT  \ £01  TAP  ALL  TA  £20 

1000  2 ODlAN  STRATI  AN  At  EOXTAP  ADO  TA  £20 

1000 

P 

1000  2 DE/M.2S  TAATIAN  J f TEXT  EDI  TAP 
1010  2 AB 1 23  4 SCAB GOLF  GABC  I 2 34  F GS  67 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  139 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  DEVELOPMENT 


PROGRAM  LISTING 


TEXTEDIT*  A TEXT  EDITOR  HP  THE  XE X ASSt.1fcL.LF 
PACKAGE  AH 0 THE  PTCO  5P  I 

(HK  AN  6080  OR  Z80  Ml  CRJPRJCESS0P1 

PROGRAMMED  BY  ALAN  R.  MILLER 
NEW  .1  L.X  l C J TECH.  SOCORRO.  MM  67801 
505*6  35“  5619  JUNE  4.  1978 


0000  > 

m»  • 


FALSE  EOU  0 

TRUE  EOU  MOT  FALSE 


FFFF 


XfXVEP  EOU  TRUE  / XIX  VERSION  TRUE 


THE  EDITOR  COMMANDS  ARE  SIMILAR  TO  THJSE  USED 
IN  HITS  AND  TDL  EXTENDED  BASIC. 


FOR  THE  XEK  VERSION.  PATCH  THE  “IT  COMMAND  AT 
32F0  H TO  JIMP  TO  THL  START  OF  THIS  EDITOR. 

TO  EDIT  LIME  1010  TYPEi 
W 1010 

AMD  THE  PROGRAM  COUNTER  WILL  BRANCH  TB  THIS  EDITOR. 


FOR  SPI.  USE  THE  CUST  COMMAND. 

TO  EDIT  LINE  NUMBER  1010  TYPE* 

CUST  1010 

AND  THE  PPOGRAM  COUNTER  WILL  JUMP  TO  EOOOH. 

IF  Y8UP  SP  I IS  NOT  IM  RJM.  CHANGE  THE  COMMAND  ‘CUST* 
Tfl  ‘EDIT*  AT  ADDRESS  F26DH.  THE  COMMAND  IS  THEN* 

EDIT  1010 

THE  FOUR-DIGIT  LIME  NUMBER  WILL  BE  PRINTED.  AND  THE 
TEXT  EDITOR  WILL  EXPECT  ONE  OF  THE  FOLLOWING* 


COMMANDS  TO  LOOK  AT  THE  LIN  Li 


EACH  PRESSING  OF  THE  SPACE  BAR  WILL  ADVANCE  THE 
CURSOR  JNE  BYTE  AND  PRINT  THE  CORRESPONDING 
CHARACTER.  OR  TYPE* 

L TO  LOOK  AT  THE  ENTIRE  LIME. 


SEARCH* 


S FOLLOWED  BY  A CHARACTER  WILL  MOVE  THE  CURSOR 
TO  THE  INPUT  CHARACTER  AND  PRINT  THE  INTERVENING 
CHARACTERS* 

OPTIONALLY.  A NUMBER  FROM  I TO  9 MAY  PRECEED  THL 
S IN  WHICH  CASE  THE  CURSOR  WILL  MOVE  TO  THE  M-TH 
OCCURANCE  OF  THE  CHARACTER. 


DQ.ETE* 


D WILL  DD.LTE  THL  NEXT  CHARACTER  OR  OPTIONALLY.  A 
NUMBER  FROM  I TO  9 PRECEEDINC  THE  D WILL  DELETE 
THE  NEXT  N CHARACTERS.  DELETED  CHARACTERS  ARE 
IMBEDDED  IN  BACKSLASHES. 


INSERT* 

I FOLLOWED  BT  ANY  NtWBE»  OF  CHA«ACTE»S  WILL  INSERT 
THE  CHARACTERS  IN  THE  LINE.  THE  INSERT  MODE  IS 
IS  TERMINATED  BY  PRESSING  ‘ESC*.  IN  WHICH  CASE 
EDITING  MAY  CONTINUE.  OR  BY  A CARRIAGE  RETURN  IN 
WHICH  CASE  CONTROL  RETURNS  TO  SP  !• 

WHILE  IN  INSERT  MODE.  TYPING  A ‘DEL  VRUBOVT' 
WILL  MOVE  THE  CURSOR  TO  THE  LEFT.  DELETING  ONE 
CHARACTER  EACH  TIME  IT  IS  PRESSED. 

A BACKARROV  IS  PRINTED  FOR  EACH  DELETE. 

X WILL  HOVE  THE  CURSOR  TO  THE  END  OF  THE  LINE  AND 
ENTER  THE  INSERT  MODE.  THIS  IS  USEFUL  FOR 
ADDING  THINGS  TO  THE  END  OF  A LINE* 

P (FOR  REPLACE)  WILL  DELETE  THE  NEXT  CHARACTER 
AND  ENTER  THE  INSERT  MODE.  OPTIONALLY.  TYPING 
A NUMBER  FROM  I TO  9 WILL  DELETE  THAT  MANY 
CHARACTERS  BEFORE  ENTERING  THE  INSERT  MODE. 

0 < QUIT)  IS  A COP-OUT.  IF  THE  LINE  HAS  GOTTEN 
AWFULLY  SCPEVED  UP.  TYPING  A Q WILL  RETURN  THE 
LINE  TO  ITS  ORIGINAL  FORM  (NO  QUESTIONS  ASKED). 

TYPE  A CARRIAGE  RETUPN  WHIN  THE  LINE  IS  IN  ITS 
FINAL  FORM.  CONTROL  WILL  RETURN  TO  SP  !• 

IMPROPER  INPUT  WILL  RING  THE  KEYBOARD  BILL. 
i///;///;/;;;//;///////////////////////iii/////i/i/// 


EOOO 


ORC  0 EOOOH  ; START  OF  EDITOR 


EQUATES 


OOOD 

• 

ASCR 

EOU 

I > 

TITLE 

F80B 

CON  I N 

ECU 

3057 

CRP1  1 

EQU 

3113 

VCMK 

EQU 

30C6 

INS 

EQU 

30  DF 

OUTS 

EQU 

30E0 

CRLF 

EQU 

349D 

LINE 

EQU 

3036 

EOR 

EQU 

3600 

WHAT 

EQU 

3555 

LMOV 

EOU 

355E 

RMS  V 

EQU 

3526 

FIND 

EQU 

32A0 

SCRN 

EQU 

40AF 

I BUF 

EQU 

ELSE 

TITLE 

i 

CRPI  I 

EQU 

VCHIX 

EOU 

INS 

EQU 

0 UT8 

EQU 

13  / CARRI AGL  RETURN 

XEXVER 

‘EDITOR  FOR  XEX  ASSEMBLER’ 

0F60SH  I CONSOLE  INPUT 

3057H  ICR*  II 

3II3H 

30C6H 

30DFH 

30EDH 

349  DH 

3036H 

3 BOOH 

3555H 

3SSEM 

352  6H 

32A0H 

40AFH 

•EDITOR  FOR  SP  I* 

0F047H 
OF 29 3M 
0F08EM 
0FQ9BM 


CONIM 

EQU 

IM 

CPFL 

EQU 

OFOAtH 

LINE 

EQU 

0F476M 

EOR 

EQU 

OFOI FH 

WHAT 

EOU 

OF  4 1 AH 

LM8  VE 

EQU 

0F534H 

RHOV 

EQU 

0F53DH 

FIND 

EQU 

0F505H 

SCRN 

EQU 

0F2I3H 

1 BUF 

EQU 
IMD1  F 

ODOACH 

///////////////////////////////////////////j////////// 

o 

o 

3 

CDI33I 

EDIT* 

CALL 

VCMK 

) CHECK  THAT  A LINE  NIMBLR 

l 

WAS  ENTERED 

E003 

CD2  635 

CALL 

FIND 

/ FIND  LINE  NUMBER  IN  FILE 

LOOt 

C2D036 

JNE 

WHAT 

)N8  SUCH  LINE  NUMBER 

£009 

1 IAE40 

LX  I 

D.  I BUF* 

1 

EOOC 

7E 

EDI  T2* 

MOV 

A.  H 

I COPY  FROM  FILE  TO  I BUF 

EOOD 

FEOD 

CPI 

ASCR 

ICR? 

EOOF 

12 

STAX 

D 

EOIO 

CAI8E0 

JZ 

EDITS 

I QUIT  ON  CR 

LQ  1 3 

23 

INX 

H 

EO  1 4 

13 

I NX 

D 

E0I5 

C30CEO 

JHP 

EDI  T2 

IN  EXT  CHAR 

EO 18 

CDED30 

EDITS* 

CALL 

CRLF 

IRESTAPT  LINE 

EOIB 

2IAF40 

LXI 

M.  1 BUF 

EO  I E 

OEOS 

M VI 

C.  5 

E020 

46 

EDI T4* 

MOV 

B.M 

I PRINT  LINE  NUMBER 

£02  1 

CDDF30 

CALL 

0 UT8 

E024 

23 

INX 

H 

E025 

OD 

DCR 

C 

E026 

C220E0 

JNZ 

ED1T4 

£029 

o to  1 

EDITIN* 

M VI 

C.  1 

1 SET  REPEAT  TO  1 

E02B 

C DC 630 

EDIN2* 

CALL 

1N8 

1 INPUT  EDIT  COMMAND 

E02E 

FE20 

CPI 

• • 

1 SPACE  MOVES  CURSOR 

EO  30 

CA79E0 

JZ 

EOSPC 

E033 

FEOD 

CPI 

ASCR 

IOUIT  ON  CR 

EO  3 5 

CA8  6E0 

JZ 

EOEXIT 

EO  38 

FE4C 

CPI 

*L* 

tO  3 A 

CA9  5E0 

JZ 

EDLOOK 

I LOOK  AT  LINE 

LO  3D 

FE5I 

CPI 

’C‘ 

J OUI  T 

EO  3 F 

CA3630 

JZ 

LOR 

IRESTORE  ORIC  LINE 

E042 

FI  49 

CPI 

‘I  ‘ 

E044 

CAC4E0 

JZ 

LD1NSR 

1 IN  SEPT 

tO  4 7 

F 1.4  4 

CPI 

’ D ' 

E049 

CA04EI 

JZ 

EDDELT 

I DELETE 

E04C 

FE53 

CPI 

‘S‘ 

E04E 

CA9BL0 

JZ 

EDSRCH 

I SEARCH 

ton 

Fisa 

CPI 

‘R  ‘ 

tO  S3 

CA29EI 

JZ 

EDREPL 

1 REPLACE 

tost 

FES8 

CPI 

•x  • 

IJUMP  TO  END  AND 

EO  58 

CA3BEI 

JZ 

LL  END 

1 STA»T  INSERT 

EO  S B 

F 1 57 

CPI 

•v 

1 SKIP  TO  NEXT  VO  VL 

E0  5D 

CAPFEO 

JZ 

EWOPD 

EOIO 

FE3I 

CPI 

M * 

1 CHECK  FOP  REPEAT  FACTOR 

EO  62 

DA7I  EO 

JC 

LL1M3 

1 IPROR.  « I 

LO  65 

FL3A 

CPI 

’9  *•  l 

E067 

D271E0 

JS4C 

ED1N3 

1 ERROR.  > 9 

E0  6A 

DE30 

SB1 

30H 

I REMOVE  A5C1 1 BIAS 

tote 

3C 

1NR 

A 

E06C 

4 F 

MOV 

C.  A 

I SAVE  REPEAT  FACTOP 

to  tt 

C32BEO 

JHP 

EDIN2 

I GET  LETTEP  COMMAND 

to  71 

0607 

ELIN  3* 

H VI 

B.  7 

LO  7 3 

CDDF30 

CALL 

OUTS 

.PING  BELL  ON  ERROF 

E076 

C 329  LO 

JMP 

EDITIN 

.‘AND  RESTART  EDIT 

I SUBROUTINE  TO  PRINT  PRESENT  CHARACTER  AND 
I ADVANCE  THL  POINTER 

/ 


E079 

46 

EDSPC*  MOV 

B.M 

/ADVANCE  POINTER 

E07A 

FEOD 

CPI 

ASCR 

1 END  OF  LINE? 

E07C 

CA16E0 

JZ 

EDI  T3 

/RESTART  ON  IM D 

EOT  F 

CCDF30 

CALL 

OUTS 

/PRINT  CHARACTER 

EO  8 2 

23 

INX 

H 

EO  8 3 

C329E0 

JMP 

EDITIN 

/NEXT  COHAN D 

/ SUBROUTINE  TO  PRINT  THE  REMAINDER  OF  THE  LINE. 
I PLACE  THE  REVISED  LINE  IN  THL  FILL. 

I AND  RETURN  TO  SOFTWARE  PACKAGE  I 


lose 

C0A032 

/ 

EDEXIT* 

CALL 

SCRN 

/PRINT  REST  OF  LINE 

E0S9 

2 1 At  40 

LXI 

H. I BUF 

EOSC 

CD4IEI 

CALL 

FCR 

/ GET  LINE  LENCTM 

£06  F 

CDS730 

CALL 

CRPI  1 

/PUT  CR  AND  EOF 

/ 

INDICATOR  AT  EM D OF  LINE 

£092 

C 39034 

JMP 

LINE 

/REPLACE  0 PI  GIN AL  LINE 

/ 

/ 

WITH  EDITED  LINE 

I SUBROUTINE  TO  PRINT  THE  REMAINDER  flF  THE  LINE 
J AND  RESTART  EDIT  MODE 


E095  CDA032  EELOOKt  CALL  SCRN  I PRINT  PEST  OF  LINE  AND 
E098  C3I8E0  JHP  EDITS  I AND  RESTART  EDIT 


I 

I SUBROUTINE  TO  SEARCH  FOP  THE  N-TM  OCCURANCE 
J OF  AN  INPUT  CHARACTER.  ALL  CHARACTERS  UP  TO 
I BUT  NOT  INCLUDING  THE  SEARCH  CHARACTER  ARE  PRINTED. 
I 


L09B 

C DC  630 

EDSRCH* 

CALL 

1.N8 

/INPUT  SEARCH  CHARACTER 

£09  E 

FE20 

CPI 

• 1 

LOAO 

DA9BE0 

JC 

EDSRCH 

/SKIP  CONTROL  CHARACTER 

tO  A 3 

51 

LDSR4* 

MOV 

E.  A 

/SAVE  SEARCH  BYTE 

tO  A 4 

46 

MOV 

B.M 

tO  A 5 

CDDF30 

CALL 

OUTS 

LOAO 

23 

INX 

H 

E0A9 

7E 

EDSR2* 

MOV 

A.M 

/FETCH  CURRENT  BYTE 

LOAA 

FEOD 

CPI 

ASCR 

/CARRI ACL  RETURN? 

tOAC 

CAI8E0 

JZ 

EDITS 

/JIMP  OM  C/D  Jl  LINE 

LOAF 

BO 

CMP 

E 

* COMPARE  TO  SEAPCH  BYTE 

LOBO 

C2B7E0 

JNZ 

E0SR3 

.’MOVE  POINTER  IF  NOT  FOUND 

EO  B 3 

OD 

DCR 

C 

/A  MATCH.  DICR  CO  IN  T 

E0B4 

CA29E0 

JZ 

EDITIN 

/JUMP  IF  N TH  OCCURANCE 

E0B7 

47 

EDSP3* 

MOV 

B.  A 

L0B8 

CDDF30 

CALL 

0UT8 

/PRINT  CURRENT  BYTE 

LOBB 

23 

INX 

H 

EOBC 

C3A9E0 

JHP 

EDSP2 

/ SKIP 

TO  NEXT 

WORD 

140  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


SOFTWARE  SECTION 


SOFTWARE  DEVELOPMENT 


EOBF 

3E20 

EWRDs  M VI 

A*  ‘ * 

EOCI 

C3A3EO 

JMP 

E0SR4 

1 SUBROUTINE 

TO 

INSERT 

A CHARACTER  IN  THE  LINE 

; IT  MAY  BE  AN 

ESC  CHAPACTEP 

E0C4 

COOS  78 

EDXNSRi  CALL 

CON  IN 

1 GET  INSERT  CHARACTER 

E0C7 

f El  B 

CPI 

IBH 

l ESCAPE? 

E0C9 

CA29EO 

JZ 

EDI  TIN 

1 END  IN  SEPT 

EOCC 

1 E20 

CPI 

• * 

10  CE 

DAC4E0 

JC 

LD1NSR 

ISKIP  CONTROL  CHARACTERS 

EODI 

FE7F 

CPI 

77H 

l DELETE? 

E0D3 

CAF2E0 

Jt 

LDBACK 

1 BACKUP  CUP  SO  R 

EO  D 6 

47 

MOV 

Os  A 

1007 

C00F30 

CALL 

OUTS 

1 PRINT  INSERTED  CHAR 

LOOM 

» 

OCX 

H 

EOD  B 

It 

aa  v 

As  .4 

1 FETCH  PRESENT  CHAR 

EOCC 

2F 

CMA 

J COMPLEMENT  IT 

EODD 

77 

MS  V 

Ms  A 

I replace  it 

LOOK 

4F 

HIV 

Cs  A 

FUSE  FOR  STOP  ON  Rt  CHT  SHIFT 

EODF 

C041E1 

CALL 

FCR 

1 FIND  CR  LOCATION 

E0E2 

54 

aav 

DsK 

E0E3 

50 

MS  V 

EsL 

E0E4 

23 

I.VX 

H 

EOES 

CD5E35 

CALL 

rmo  v 

1 SHI  FT  Rl  GHT 

E0E8 

70 

MS  V 

Ms  B 

1 INSERT  CHARACTER 

E0E9 

2B 

OCX 

H 

LOLA 

7E 

IS  V 

AsH 

E0EB 

IF 

CMA 

1 COMPLEMENT  BACK 

EOEC 

77 

aav 

Ms  A 

EO  EO 

23 

INX 

H 

LOLL 

23 

1NX 

H 

LOLf 

C3C4E0 

JMP 

EDI N SR 

1 NEXT  INSPT 

1 SUBROUTINE 

TO 

DELETE 

A CHARACTER  (WITH  DEL 

1 COMMAND)  VM  LI 

IN  INSERT  MOOE*  POINTER  IS  BACKED 

I UP  ONE  AND 

A 

BACK  ARR0V  IS  PRXMTLC* 

EO  72 

SEA  7 

EDBACKi  M VI 

AsLOV  1 

IBUF  IL0V  HALF  OF  1BUF 

EOF  4 

BO 

CMP 

L 

7 TOO  FAR  BACK 7 

EO  7 5 

CA29E0 

JZ 

EDI  TIN 

1 YES 

E07S 

2B 

OCX 

H 

EO  79 

0657 

M VI 

Bs  5FH 

I BACK  ARROW 

tore 

C00730 

CALL 

OUTS 

1 PRINT  IT 

tort 

CD27EI 

CALL 

EDSHL 

l DELETE  CHARACTER 

EIOI 

C3C4E0 

JMP 

E01NSP 

l SUBROUTINE 

TO 

DELETE 

•N  CHARACTERS*  OEL  ETED 

; CHARACTERS 

A »t  IMBEDDED  IN  BACKSLASHES* 

El  04 

COCA  El 

EDDELTl  CALL 

LD0L2 

S*  DELETE  AND  SHIFT  LEFT 

EI07 

C 329 L0 

JMP 

EDI  TI  N 

iNEXT  COMMAND 

EIOA 

C024EI 

ED0L2I  CALL 

BACKSL 

l PRINT  BACKSLASH 

EIOO 

7E 

MOV 

AsH 

l FETCH  CHARACTER 

EI0E 

7 tOO 

CPI 

ASCR 

1 END  OF  LINE? 

El  10 

C217EI 

J nz 

ED0L4 

El  13 

II 

PSP 

PSV 

I LINE  END*  RAISE  STACK 

El  14 

C3ISEO 

JMP 

EDITS 

1 RESTART  LINE 

El  1 7 

46 

EO0L4I  MS  V 

Bs  M 

t FETCH  CURRENT  CHARACTER 

El  IS 

CDDF30 

CALL 

OUTS 

) PRINT  DELETE  CHAR 

El  IB 

cs 

PUSH 

B 

ISAVE  DELETE  COUNT  <IN  C> 

El  1C 

CD2FEI 

CALL 

EDSHL 

El  1 7 

Cl 

POP 

B 

El  20 

0D 

OCR 

C 

1 DECREMENT  DELETL  COlMT 

El  2 1 

C2I7EI 

JNZ 

LULL  4 

J N EXT  DBLLTE 

El  24 

0 6SC 

BACKSLi  M VI 

Bs 

1 PRINT  A BACKSLASH 

El  26 

C3D7  30 

JMP 

SUTS 

l SUBROUTINE 

TO 

REPLACE  N CHARACTERS  WITH  ANY 

1 MEMBER  OF  OTHER  CHARACTERS*  ESCAPE  KEY 

1 RETURNS  TO 

EDI  T MODE 

El  29 

COOAEI 

EDREPLi  CALL 

LOLL  2' 

i DELETE  AMD  LEFT  SHIFT 

E12C 

C3C4E0 

JMP 

ED1NSR 

I THEN  INSERT 

7 SUBROUTINE 

TO 

SHIFT  LEFT  THE  REMAINDER  07  THE  LINE 

El  2 7 

ES 

EOSHLi  PUSH 

H 

1 SAVE  POINTER 

El  30 

54 

MOV 

DsH 

El  31 

5D 

MS  V 

EsL 

E132 

13 

INX 

D 

El  33 

OEOD 

M VI 

Cs  ASCR 

El  35 

C05535 

CALL 

LMS  V 

l SHI  FT  LEFT 

El  36 

71 

MOV 

Ms  C 

JPUT  CARPI  ACE  RETURN  IN 

El  39 

El 

POP 

H 

EISA 

C9 

RET 

7 SUBROUTINE 

TO 

PRINT 

REMAINDER  OF  LINE*  MOVE 

J POINTER  TO 

END*  ML 

ENTER  INSERT  MODE 

El  SB 

CDA032 

EDEMDi  CALL 

SCRN 

I PRINT  REMAINDER  OF  LINE 

EI3E 

C3C4E0 

JMP 

EDI MSP 

JRLSTART  IN  SEPT  MODE 

; SUBROUTINE 

TO 

FIND  THE  LINE  LENGTH  AND  ADDRESS  OF 

; THE  CARRIAGE 

RETURN 

AT  THE  END  OF  THE  LINE 

El  41 

1 E0  1 

FCPi  M VI 

Es  1 

E 1 43 

1C 

FCRIl  INR 

E 

El  44 

7E 

aav 

AsM 

1 FIND  CR 

El  4 5 

7E0D 

CPI 

ASCP 

El  47 

CS 

PZ 

El  45 

23 

INX 

H 

El  49 

C343EI 

JMP 

FCR  I 

El  4C 

end 

GOOD 

ASCR 

El  24 

BACKSL 

7808 

CON  IN 

30  ED 

CPLF 

3057 

CRPII 

E0F2 

LDBACK 

EIOA 

EODELT 

EIOA 

L0DL2 

El  17 

ton.  4 

El  38 

EDEMC 

EOS  6 

ED  EMIT 

E02B 

LD1N2 

EO  7 I 

COIN  3 

E0C4 

EDI N SR 

E000 

EDIT 

LOOC 

EDI  T2 

EO  IS 

EDIT3 

E020 

EDXT4 

E029 

EDI  TIN 

E095 

EDLiOK 

El  29 

EDREPL 

El  2 7 

EDSHL 

EO  79 

EOSPC 

tO  A 9 

LDSP2 

LOB? 

E05R3 

L0A3 

EDSP4 

E09B 

EDSRCil 

3036 

LOR 

LOBF 

EVORD 

0000 

FALSE 

E 1 4 1 

FCP 

El  43 

FCR  l 

3526 

FIND 

40A7 

IBUF 

30C  6 

INS 

349D 

LINE 

3555  LHOV 

30DF 

OUTS 

35SE 

PMO  V 

32A0 

SCRN 

FFFF 

TRUE 

3113 

VCHK 

3600 

UN  AT 

FFFF 

XEK  VEP 

OCTOBER  1978 


DISK  TRS-80  DISK 


Accounts  Receivable,  Accounts  Payable,  CPA  Gen.  Ledger, 
Gen.  Payroll,  Farm  Payroll,  Job  Cost,  Word  Processing 


IMMEDIA  TE  DELIVER  Y 
FULL  CHAINING  CAPABILITY 
ALL  SYSTEMS  LICENSED 

For  sample  reports  send  $6.00  to  cover  postage  & handling. 
Each  system  is  priced  at  $240.00  with  3 system  minimum. 
First  time  user  cookbook  documentation. 

Money  Order,  VISA,  Master  Charge  only.  Please. 
Please  state  2 or  3 disk  systems. 


PAYROLL 
ACCTS.  PAYABLE 
ACCTS.  REC. 

GEN.  LEDGER 
JOB  COST 


2 DISK  SYSTEM 
125  EMPLOYEES 
200  VENDORS 
250  CUSTOMERS 
100  ACCOUNTS 
25-45  JOBS 


3 DISK  SYSTEM 
250  EMPLOYEES 
400  VENDORS 
500  CUSTOMERS 
200  ACCOUNTS 
50-130  JOBS 


COMPUTER  SYSTEMS 
DESIGN,  INC. 

P.O.  Box  735 
Yakima,  WA.  98907 

IciRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  94  Call  1-509-575-0320 


BASF  diskettes  . . . 

the  industry  standard 

100%  certified  at  single 
density.  Our  experience  in- 
dicates low  error  rates  at  4X 
single  density.  SATISFACTION 
GUARANTEED.  Return  diskettes 
with  packing  list  in  original  con- 
tainer within  15  days  of  receipt  to 
obtain  refund. 

choose  trow  the  following  one-side  diskettes: 

8 INCH:  one  sector  (soft)  or  32  sector  (hard) 

5V4  INCH:  one  sector;  ten  sector;  16  sector 

Mix  or  match  boxes  of  20  diskettes  to  take  advantage  of 
quantity  40  or  80  VOLUME  PRICING: 


QTY. 

AMOUNT 

PRICE 

EACH 

10 

45.00 

4.50 

20 

85.00 

4.25 

40 

160.00 

4.00 

80  or  more 

288.00/80 

3.60 

TO  ORDER  state  size,  sector,  and  quantity.  Add  $5.00 
for  handling.  Wisconsin  residents  add  4%  sales  tax  or 
send  copy  of  your  resale  permit.  Please  allow  three 
weeks  for  personal  checks  to  clear.  Charge  and  cash 
orders  shipped  in  three  working  days. 


Madison  Business  Systems 

1863  Monroe  Street 
Madison.  Wl  53711 
Phone  (608)  255-2236 

Open  10-6  Mon. -Sat. 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  26 


INTERFACE  AGE  141 


KIM-1  $179 

With  Power  Supply  $209 

PET  software  and  hardware 

Write  for  list  of  KIM  and  PET  accessories 

A B Computers 

P.O.  Box  104,  Perkasie,  PA  18944 


COMPUTER  PAPER 
Dealers  and  agents  wanted 
Introductory  Otter 

2 dozen  boxes  of  2.500  sheet.  9 W wide,  continuous 
fold  eye  ease  bond  paper.  $164.00,  includes  delivery 
This  is  a fraction  of  its  regular  price  and  is  our  way 
of  introducing  our  product. 

John  Mussina 

7006  Forbs  Way  Citrus  Heights,  CA  95610 


1 Chock  our  prices  — Wo  will  not  bo  undorooldl 

POLY-8813 

1 drive  No  monitor 

$2500 

POLY-88 

Systsm  2 

$575 

IMSAI 1-8080 

22  Slot 

$575 

IMSAI 

PC  Boerds/KIte 

15%  Off 

NORTH  STAR 

NDS-A  Kits 

$585 

EXTENSYS 

Memory 

20%  Oft 

AAAA  Computer  How’s 

1477  Barrington,  Suits  17 

| W.  Los  Angelas,  CA  90025  (213)  477-8478  | 

IT’S  ABOUT  TIME! 

Finally,  a COMPLETE  disk  utility  package  for  the 
NORTH  STAR  MICRO  DISK  SYSTEM  A MUST  for 
both  BUSINESS  and  hobby  systems,  PKGUT1  on 
diskette  includes  the  following 

PACKIT  — Packs  & Unpacks  disk  files 
so  you  can  get  more  storage  per  disk!  CHANGIT  — 
Prints.  Dumps  and/or  Changes  data  in  disk  liles  up 
lo  a global  level  SORTIT  — A generalized  sorting 
utility  COMPIT  — File  comparison  utility  Will  com- 
pare disk  files  sequentially  or  by  key  and  display  dif- 
ferences Diskette  with  lull  user's 
documentation  $80.00 

North  Star  BASIC  games  ROADRACE.  EVENWINS. 
BIORHYTHM.  3D  TICTAC.  and  the  addicting  SUPER 
WUMP'  PKGN1  (5  games  on  diskette)  $15.00 

VDM  GAMES  (requires  SOLOS  or  CUTER):  Real  time 
ROBOTS  and  ASTEROID*  PKGVt  (2  games  on  1200 
baud  CUTS  tape)  $20  00 

aa:#«***  P.O.  Box  922.  Madison  Square 

IVlICrO  Station.  New  York,  NY  10010 

Logistics  N Y- res-  ad<*  applicable  sales  tax 


isam  For  MicRomus 

• RAGSAfl  allows  you  to  Croat*.  Retrieve,  and 
Updato  data  records  by  uior  defined  keys 

• Interactive  Tutorial  Proqrae,  I’ll*  Duwp 
Utility,  and  User  Guide  are  also  included 

* Coeprehen* lve  User  Guide  Includes  gener- 
alized ISAM  concepts  (IS  ordered  separately) 

* Only  $75  for  complete  *40$  Aft  package 
(Distributed  on  Rod  II  dlskotte) 

Micro  Application*  Group 

y 7300  CALOUS  AVt , VAN  MUV5.  CA  91406  v 


CONSULTANTS 

Let  us  get  together  and  run  a full 
page  color  ad  with  individual 
addresses  and  divide  the  cost. 
Write  Micro  Logic  Corp.,  Box  174, 
Hackensack,  New  Jersey  07602. 


6800  SOFTWARE 

REAL  TIME  CLOCK  — Software  -t  instructions  for 
'adding  a REAL  TIME  CLOCK  to  your  computer  For 
under  $3.  in  additional  parts,  this  interrupt  will  give 
i your  SWTPC  0K  BASIC,  or  machine  language  pro- 
grams the  time  ol  day  $7.50 

GRAPH  #1  — Create  real-time  graphics  with  ease 
from  your  machine  language  program  — also 
generates  ASCII  characters*  Uses  the  SWTPC  GT  61 
display  $5.50 

Each  program  requires  a 6800  with  MIKBUG.  or  com- 
patible monitor  Memory  required:  under  2K,  Full 
source  listing  and  MIKBUG  paper  tape  are  included, 
or  add  $1 .00  for  Kansas  City  format  cassette  lo  each 
price  above 

*We  also  have  GAMES.  UTILITY  PROGRAMS,  and  a 
FORTRAN  CROSS  ASSEMBLER  Write  for  flyer! 
‘Coming  soon,  an  enhanced  Graphics  package  wdh 
ASCII.  Russian,  and  Greek  characters  plus  other 
features.  Please  write  for  details. 

APPLIED  MICROCOMPUTER  SYSTEMS 

Box  66.  Silver  Lake.  NH  0387S 


UNEXPLAINED  GLITCHES/CRASHES? 

AC  Power  Line  surges  and  hash  could  be  the  culprit! 
Our  Surge  Suppressors  and  Hash  Filters  curb 
damaging  surges  and  disruptive  hash  Send  sett- 
addressed,  stamped  envelope  for  FREE  Surge  and 
Hash  Cures  llyer.  Get  your  SuppressortFilter  at  your 
Dealer  or  order  direct 

S'F  KW-3  1000  watt  line  cord  unit  S20  95 

ELFiT  10  10  amp  wire  in  unit  $17  25 

ELECTRONIC  SPECIALISTS,  DEPT.  IF 
171  S.  Main  St.,  Natick.  MA  01760 


Add-on  Floppy  Drives: 

SA800/1  (8")  S459 

SA400  S285 


SA800/1  (8")  S459 

SA400  S285 

Tarbell  controller SI  80 

4"  Diskettes  ..: S3.29 


CALL  THE  CIT  HOTLINE  (714)  979-9923 
2080  South  Grand.  Santa  Ana.  CA  92705 


COMPUTALKER  USERS 

• Our  software  interfaces  withComputalker's 
CSR1  software  to  let  you  program  in  ordi- 
nary English.  Good-bye  FOW3NEH2TIK 
SPEH2LIH3NX! 

•Object  code  on  CUTS  or  paper  tape  and' 
fully  annotated  source  listing  S49. 

UPPER  CASE  books 

502  E.  John  Street  Champaign,  IL  61820 


SHORTY  CASSETTES 

C-10  low  noise  high  output.  Short  enough  to  rewind 
and  still  hold  many  programs.  “Scotch"  brand  "Posi- 
Trak”  tape  in  special  shells  with  spring  loaded  pres- 
sure pads.  $1.50  ea.  — 10  for  $14.00. 

“SCOTCH”  Brand  DISKETTES 

Single  sided  • single  density.  Specify  disk  unit  — 
Regular  and  mini.  $5.25  ea  — 5 for  $25.50  — 10 
lor  $44.00  in  2 piece  storage  box.  Send  $1.00  for 
complete  supply  catalog  with  refund  coupon. 

e* 

2400  BESSEMER  STREET 
WOODLAND  HILLS.  CA  91367 


D.C.  METRO  AREA 

TYSONS  CORNER.  VIRGINIA 

COMPUTER  SYSTEMS  STORE 

Microcomputers  & Peripherals 
(or  Home.  School.  & Small  Business 
1 984  Chain  Bridge  Rd  , McLean,  VA  22101 
703-821  -8333 


SOFTWARE  lor  - ''i 

MICROPOLIS 

MICROPOLIS  BASIC  is  great  BUT- 
WE’VE  MADE  IT  EVEN  BETTER !!! 

The  BEM-l  makes  programming  a SNAP! 

• Append  programs  or  subroutines  ftom  disk 

• Most  powerful  EDIT  function  available 
(Change  a character,  a line, 

or  even  the  line  number!). 

• Formatted  listings  lor  easy  readability  cross- 
referenced  to  all  GOTO  and  G0SUB  entry  points 
Correct  pagination  and  titling  with  any  printer 

• Sorted  list  of  all  variables  and  function  calls 

• Computes  program  size,  variable  storage  space 
required  and  true  space  left 

• Automatic  program  titling. 

• A renumber  that  does  it  all 

• And  even  more!! 

100";,  compatible  with  all  your  programs 
No  increased  memory  requirement 
Fully  documented  user  manual 
Basic  Expansion  Module  (BEM-I) 

Available  from  stock  $45.00 
Coming  soon  - Optimizing  Compiler,  full 
Business  packages.  & MUCH  MUCH  MORE!!1 

SYSTEMATION.  INC. 

P.O.  Box  75 
Rlchton  Park.  IL  60471 
V (312)  481-2420 J 


142  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


GOT  A DIRTY  APPLE? 

GET  A COMPUTER  CANOPY 
DUST  COVER  FOR  THE  APPLE  II 

Attractive,  heavy,  upholstery  vinyl. 
Choice  of  textured  walnut  or  tan. 
$14.95  PPD  in  USA.  5%  tax  in  Texas. 
MC/VISA/M.O.  Ship  stock  to  2 weeks. 

DIGITAL  DYNAMICS,  INC. 

P.O.  Box  27243,  Department  I 
San  Antonio,  TX  78227 


C10+  CASSETTES 

DESIGNED  FOR  MICROCOMPUTERS 

Price  includes  cassette,  hard  box.  2 extra 
labels  and  shipping.  30  day  warranty  Calif, 
customers  add  sales  tax.  Send  check  or  bank 
card  no.,  expiration  date  and  signature.  VISA 
and  M/C  accepted. 

Sample  $1.  10  Pack  $7.50,  50-Rack  $32.50. 
Dealer  inquiries  invited. 

MICROSETTE  COMPANY 

777  Palomar  Avenue.  Sunnyvale.  CA  94086 


From  the  wonderful 
folks  who  brought 
you  iCOM-CP/M! 


MICROPOLIS-CP/NI* 

Computer  Mart  now  brings  CP  M software  to 
MICROPOUS  users,  giving  the  MICROPOUS 
disc  owner  the  full  capacities  ot  CP  M . while 
retaining  lull  access  to  Micropolis'  operating 
system  PLUS  — Direct  load  and  start  CP/M 

• Automatic  program  execution  • Dynamic 
disc  space  allocation  • Random  access  on 
all  tiles  • HIGH  speed  disc  read  and  write 

• Full  compatibility  with  all 
other  CP/M  systems 


Callus! 


Dealer  inquires  invited.  r»,  m, 
Computer  Mart  ol  New  Jersey  ,n’" ' 

501  Route  27.  Ijelm,  HJ  08830 . 20t  -283-0600 
Tue  -Sal  10:00-6  00  • Toe  & Thur  til  9:00 


Computer  Marl  ol  Pennsylvania 

S50  DeKalb  PAe.  Kmo  ol  Prussia.  PA  I9A06  • 215-265-2580 
Tue  -TImji  11  00-9  00  • Fri  & Sal  10:00-6  00 

•CP  M it  a reQtsUfKi  tuOtmut  of  Pwpitai  Retmcn  Ctxp 


MICRO-MARKET  AD  RATE: 

$50.00  per  column  inch.  Maxi- 
mum of  4 column  inches  per 
ad.  Submit  ads  to: 

Micro-Market  Ads 
INTERFACE  AGE  Magazine, 

PO  Box  1234 
Cerritos,  CA  90701. 


FIFO  FLEA 
MARKET 


FOR  SALE:  SWTPC  6800  system,  16K 
memory.  CT-1024  with  16x64  mod., 
AC-30  cassette  interface.  PR-40  printer,  2 
serial  and  1 parallel  I/O,  8K  BASIC,  4K 
BASIC,  cores,  ass.,  games,  etc.  All 
assembled  and  running.  $1500.  Shipping 
paid.  Write  Bryan  K.  Miller,  1307  Wil- 
crest,  Houston,  TX  77042. 

FOR  SALE:  Heath  H8  system  with  24K 
memory,  serial  & cassette  interface,  2 
cassette  players,  all  standard  systems 
software  and  documentation,  both  ver- 
sions of  Extended  B.H.  BASIC,  and  extra 
cassettes.  Up  and  running  and  in  excel- 
lent condition.  Does  not  include  ter- 
minal. Asking  $1200  or  best  offer.  Call 
Dave  (201)  625-1092. 

FOR  SALE:  2 MITS  S4  synchronous  4K 
memory  boards,  brand  new,  200-300  nsec 
access  times;  PTCo  ALS-8  firmware  board 
w/8K  of  utility  programs  on  PROM; 
Heathkit  top-of-the-line  10-4510,  15MHz 
dual  channel  oscilloscope,  unassembled 
in  box;  Cromemco  Bytesaver,  PTCo  4K 
Static  RAM  board;  PAiA  electronic  music 
synthesizer,  18  modules,  3V4  octave 
keyboard,  working.  Call  or  write  Bob 
Stodola  1910  Beechwood  Ave.,  St.  Paul, 
MN  55116,  (612)  698-2731. 

FOR  SALE:  S-100  — 16x64  video  inter- 
face (ASCII  & block  graphics),  assem- 
bled $100;  8K  RAM,  assembled  $100;  Pro- 
totyping board,  including  buffers  and 
regulator  on  board  $20;  Full  ASCII  key- 
board including  user-defined  keys  $35; 
Call  or  write  Philip  Klein,  1524  Sacra- 
mento St.,  Berkeley,  CA  94702,  (415) 
524-9711. 

FOR  SALE:  Compucolor  computer  with 
8001  BASIC,  dual  disk  drive,  and  16K 
RAM.  Used  for  sales  demonstrations, 
will  sell  for  highest  offer.  Video  Midwest, 
2212  Ingersoll  Ave.,  Des  Moines,  IA 
50312,  (515)  244-1447. 

TRADE  TRS-80  PROGRAMS:  Have  about 
50  games,  graphics,  etc.  Send  your  pro- 
grams on  a cassette  and  I will  record  all  I 
can  on  your  cassette  and  return  it  to  you. 
Level  1 only.  Jim  Clayton,  3520  SE  Vine- 
yard Road,  Milwaukie,  OR  97222. 

FOR  SALE:  ASR  33  Teletype  with  stand, 
box  of  ribbons,  papertape  punch  and 
reader;  good  condition,  $600.00.  Allen 
Tanner,  526  Cleveland  Ave.,  Salt  Lake 
City,  UT  84105. 

FOR  SALE;  Heath  Microprocessor 
Course  and  Heath  ET-3400  Microproces- 
sor Trainer  (completely  assembled),  in- 
cluding all  accessories,  instructions, 
course  examination  and  subscription  to 
Heath  Users  Group,  $240.00.  C.  Brandt, 
903  Rose  St.,  Barnwell,  SC  29812,  (803) 
259-7211. 


FOR  SALE:  PerSci  full  size  8-inch  dual 
disks  in  slimline  cabinet  with  power  sup- 
ply and  1070  intelligent  controller.  Also 
CP/M  Microsoft  BASIC  and  TDL  BASIC, 
text  editor  and  word  processor,  asking 
$2650.  First  certified  check,  I pay  UPS 
delivery.  (Adapters  available  for 
Heathkit,  S-100  & Digital  Group  bus.) 
One  D.G.  adapter  with  Zappel  monitor  in 
ROM  & 2 RS232  ports,  asking  $210,  same 
terms.  Also,  Digital  Group  9”  monitor  in 
dress  cabinet,  $185.  DG  keyboard 
w/number  cluster  in  dress  cabinet,  $175. 
Three  DG  8K  boards,  $180  each.  Dr.  Mc- 
Call, (804)  838-1950  weekdays. 

FOR  SALE:  S-100  floppy  system  & 16K 
RAM.  New  ‘Discus  I’  8"  Shugart  drive 
system  and  controller,  $885.  16K  static, 
450  ns  RAM  board,  $290.  Both  from  Mor- 
row's ‘Thinker  Toys'.  George  Markle, 
(415)  969-4969. 

FOR  SALE:  Heath  H-8  software.  127  of 
the  most  popular  computer  games  for 
$39.  They  run  on  Extended  BASIC  ver- 
sion #10.02.  and  require  16K  of  memory. 
Complete  descriptions  of  games  includ- 
ed. On  high  quality  cassettes.  Send 
check  or  money  order  to  Mike  Sexton, 
37793  Colfax  Court,  Fremont,  CA  94536. 

FOR  SALE:  Sphere  boards,  CPU/2, 
CRT/1  A.  Best  offer.  Richars  Likwartz,  827 
West  St.,  Rock  Springs,  WY  82901,  (307) 
362-5316. 

FOR  SALE:  DEC  PDP-8F  minicomputer 
system,  16K,  2 disk  drives,  video  ter- 
minal, ASR  33,  much  software.  Make  of- 
fer. John  Robinson,  725  Berry  Ln.,  Lex- 
ington, KY  40502,  (606)  266-1509. 

FOR  SALE:  TRS-80  software  programs. 
Graphics,  games,  Psychiatrist,  Bio- 
rhythm or  programs  written  to  your  spe- 
cifications. For  complete  catalog  send 
SASE  to  Mike  Sobetzko,  6631  Nagle 
Ave.,  Van  Nuys,  CA  91401. 

PET  USER  GROUP  for  people  interested 
in  the  Commodore  PET  2001  computer. 
Share  and  exchange  applications,  pro- 
grams and  hardware  expansion  tech- 
niques. First  year  membership  $5  and  in- 
cludes 6 Issues  of  PET  User  Notes.  Write 
Gene  Beals,  P.O.  Box  371;  Mont- 
gomeryville,  PA  18936. 

FOR  SALE:  Imsai  PCS-80/35  with  TV 
monitor,  dual  minidisks,  32K,  IMDOS 
(CP/M),  CBASIC,  keyboard,  VIO-C,  and 
spare  port  for  printer.  Almost  new; 
$3,000  including  6 spare  diskettes.  Also 
VIO-B  for  $300,  8”  diskette,  CBASIC  and 
FORTRAN  for  $80  each,  and  extra  32K 
for  $500.  Ted  Aho,  3965  Munkers  St.  SE, 
Salem,  OR  97301,  (581-9566. 


OCTOBER  1978 


INTERFACE  AGE  143 


ADVERTISER  INDEX 


Info 

Inquiry 

Number  Page 

MANUFACTURERS 

1 Administrative  Systems  Inc 51 

2 Alpha  Micro 14-15 

3 Audio  Engineering 54 

4 AVR  Electronics 34 

5 Bits  Inc 52 

6 Canada  Systems.  Inc 51 

7 Computalker  Consultants 50 

8 Computer  Data  Systems 7 

9 Computerised  18-19 

10  Compuworld 65 

11  Cromemco  Inc 1 

13  Data  Dynamics.  Inc 40 

• Data  Dynamics  Technology 42 

15  dillthium  Press 55 

16  Dynabyte 8-9 

1 7 Electro  Analytic  Systems.  Inc 4 

18  Electronic  Control  Technology 37 

19  EMM/CMP 26 

20  EMM  Semi.  Inc 69 

21  Hayden  Book  Company,  Inc 33 

22  D.C.  Hayes  Asssociates.  Inc 32 

23  Info  2000  Corporation 39 

24  Integral  Data  Systems,  Inc 30-31 

• INTERFACE  AGE  Subscriptions 53 

and  insert  between  pages  120  & 121 

• INTERFACE  AGE  Back  Issues 67 

25  James  Electronics IBC 

• Lifeboat  Associates 65.  68 

27  Meca 59 

28  Micro  Computer  Devices  Inc 37 

29  Microdesign.  Fullerton,  CA 38 

30  Micro  Mail 66 

31  Micromation 22-23 

32.96  Micropolis 62-63 

33  MicroPro  International  Corporation 41 

34  Micro  Technology  Unlimited 58 

35  The  MicroWorks 68 

• Mini  Micro 71 

38  MPI 54 

39  No  Name  Computers 69 

40  NCC79AFIPS 12 

41  Ohio  Scientific 3 

42  OK  Machine  & Tool  Corp 64 

43  Osborne  & Associates.  Inc 60 

44  Otto  Electronics 48 

45  Pacific  Digital 67 

46  Payne,  Jackson  & Associates 91 

47  Percom  Data  Company,  Inc 24 

• Radio  Shack  11 

48  RHS  Marketing 27 

49  Seattle  Computer  Products,  Inc 16 

• Shugart  Associates 20-21 

51  Space  Byte  Computer  Corp 29 

52  SSI  50 

53,54  Structured  Systems  Group 5,  43-44 

55  SWTPC IFC 

56  Sybex 10 

12  Synertek  Systems  Corp 13 

57  Sylvanhills  Laboratories,  Inc 36 

58  System  Insights 28 

59  Technico  Inc 56 

60  Terminal  Systems 25 

61,62  Thinker  Toys 35,45 

63  Trans  Net  Corporation  38 

64  Ultra-Violet  Products,  Inc 26 

14  U.S.  Savings  Bonds  49 

65  Vector  Electronic  Company  40 

66  Vector  Graphic  Inc BC 

67  Xitanlnc 47 

68  XI lex  Corporation 57 

COMPUTER  STORES/SURPLUS  STORES 

69  Bits  N Bytes,  Fullerton,  CA 116 

70  Byte  Shop,  Lawndale,  CA  119 

71  Byte  Shop,  Tustin,  CA 122 

72  Byte  Shop,  East  124 

73  Byte  Shops  of  South  Florida 115 

89  Colorado  Computer  Corral  114 

74  Component  Sales  Inc Ill 

75  Computer  Components  Inc., 

Van  Nuys,  CA 107 

76  Computer  Components  Inc. 

Westminster,  CA 105 

1 77  Computer  Enterprises 106 

78,79  Computer  Mart  Systems,  NY 1 19, 123 

80  Computer  Store,  Santa  Monica,  CA  ....  124 

94  Computer  Systems  Design,  Inc 141 

95  Computerworld 34 

81  Digi-Key  Corporation 118 

82  Digital  Marketing  104 

• Electronic  Systems  113 

83  International  Computer  Systems 112 

84  Khalsa  Computer  Systems  Inc 110 

26  Madison  Business  Systems 141 

85  MicroAge 105 

86  MlnIMicroMart,  Inc 117 

87  Mission  Control  121 

88  Quest  Electronics 116 

90  Rainbow  Computing  Inc 112 

91,92  Sunshine  Computer  Company 103,109 

93  Trinico,  International 125 


'Manufacturer  requests  factory-direct  inquiry. 


FREE:  Data  cable  with  the  sale  of  a 
PerScI  1070  intelligent  disk  controller, 
$500.  A&T.  TDL  SMB  board  (dealer  demo). 
2 serial  I/O’s,  1 parallel,  cassette  interface 
and  TDL  2K  Zapple  monitor  in  ROM  and 
2K  RAM.  Checked  out,  A&T  $220.  TDL 
software  package  “A"  w/12K  BASIC, 
2-80  assembler,  Z-TEL,  Text  Output  Pro- 
cessor, all  to  run  under  CP/M  format.  8” 
diskette,  manuals  and  notebook,  $189. 
Call  or  write  Ted  Nakamura,  3421  Onyx 
St.,  Torrance,  CA  90503,  (213)  371-8138. 

WANTED:  North  Star  BASIC  Compiler. 
Roger  T.  Scaggs,  2353  Claridge  Circle, 
Plano,  TX  75075,  (214)  596-1212. 

FOR  SALE:  S-100  system.  8080  CPU  w/48K 
of  static  RAM  and  8K  of  ROM.  Computer 
has  front  panel.  With  108-key  stand  alone 
keyboard,  video  display,  15”  IBM  Selec- 
tric  printer  w/extra  platen,  type  balls,  etc. 
Also  includes  paper  tape  reader,  Tarbell 
cassette  system,  EPROM  programmer, 
UV  eraser  and  over  100  programs. 
Reliable  and  nicely  packaged  to  be  sold 
as  a system  only  for  $3600.  Jim 
Baumgardt,  6821  San  Alto,  Buena  Park, 
CA  90620,  (714)  826-7056. 

WANTED:  Information  on  users  group 
for  Intercolor  8051.  Also,  interested  in  in- 
terfacing experience  with  this  computer 
via  8-bit  I/O  and  especially  software  ex- 
change.  John  G.  Peddie,  2930  Lakeshore 
Ave.,  Oakland,  CA  94610. 

FOR  SALE:  Floppy  tape  peripheral.  Com- 
plete with  control  board,  8 tapes,  new 
and  used.  Uses  stereo  8-track  cartridge. 
Each  cartridge  can  hold  one  program  per 
track  or  8 per  cartridge.  Program  length 
limited  only  by  tape  length.  The  used 
tapes  have  5 or  6 programs  on  each  and 
are  included  free.  Ready  to  run,  includ- 
ing Star  Trek,  Othello,  other  games  and 
technical  programs.  Will  interface 
w/most  microcomputers.  Schematic  incl. 
Will  ship  UPS,  $100.  R.  Mendelson,  27 
Somerset  PL,  Murray  Hill,  NJ  07874. 

FOR  SALE:  Digital  Group  TVC-64  w/docu- 
mentation  & OP— system  cassette,  Radio 
Shack  keyboard  w/Return  key  added. 
Both  in  one  case,  $175.  Wanted:  SWTPC 
CT-1024  or  CT-64.  Bob  Howarth,  Jr.,  RFD 
#1,  Box  36,  Lisbon,  NH  03585. 

FOR  SALE:  Apple  II  software-cassette; 
Author-Title  Index  program  for  books, 
records,  tapes,  super-fast  machine 
language  sort,  16K  Blackjack,  graphic, 
paddle  input,  sound;  full  L.V.  rules,  auto- 
play by  computer,  $10  ea.  incl.  documen- 
tation. Both  $15.  George  Lee,  18803  S. 
Christina  Ave.,  Cerritos,  CA  90701. 

FOR  SALE:  Routines  for  8080  interpreter 
will  automatically  copy  old  BASIC  pro- 
grams so  they  can  be  read  by  the  new  in- 
terpreter. Source  listing  and  instruc- 
tions, $5.00.  Disassembler  for  North  Star 
(origins  at  OOOOH  and  5000H),  $5.00  plus 
disk.  D.  Sellari,  616  N.  Delaware  Ave., 
Lindenhurst,  NY  11757. 

FOR  SALE:  TRS-80  Level  1 tapes  and 
lists.  Star  Trek  War  (runs  on  12K),  list  $7, 
tape  $10.  Biorhythm  (4K),  list  $4.50,  tape 
$7;  Lunar  Lander  (4K),  list  $3,  tape  $5. 
Level  2 tapes:  RAM  test,  $8;  Lunar 
Lander,  $5;  Biorhythm,  $7.  J.R.  Menzies, 
1011  Neal  Dr.,  Alexandria,  VA  22308. 


FOR  SALE:  SOL  20,  2 SOL  10’s,  Altair 
8800A  with  p.t.  motherboard,  24  kra's 
static  RAM,  8 kra,  2-3  pts  I/O  board,  Mits 
vectored  interrupt,  r,  time  clock  board, 
iCOM  dual  floppy,  ASR  33  TTY,  TDL  ZPU. 
Send  offers,  receive  detailed  list. 
Marsden,  608  Kelly,  Silver  City,  NM 
88061,  (505)  538-5229. 

FOR  SALE:  Enhancements  and  modifica- 
tions to  Microsoft  KIM-1,  nine  digit 
BASIC,  $15.  Fast  SAVE  and  LOAD;  inter- 
rupt programs  and  CONTinue;  GET  com- 
mand; append  programs;  paper  tape  us- 
ing x-on  — x-off;  real  time  clock  (0.1 
sec.);  etc.  Send  prepaid  order  or  SASE 
for  more  details.  Harvey  Herman,  2512 
Berkeley  PL,  Greensboro,  NC  27403. 

FOR  SALE:  TRS-80  business  programs. 
Accounts  Receivable,  Contractor's  job 
cost,  and  Accountant’s  daily  time  billing. 
Run  on  level  1 OK.  Moderate  prices,  all 
under  $20  each.  Jack  Hatfield,  2895  Bed- 
ford Ave.,  Placerville,  CA  95667. 

WANTED:  Individuals  interested  in  pur- 
chasing Magnetic  Stripe  Reader  (Byte, 
Feb.  1978,  p.  182)  in  a cooperative  effort 
for  a lower  price.  Write  to  Chris  Placak, 
Box  5756,  Charlottesville,  VA  22905. 

FOR  SALE:  8K  byte,  250  nsec,  static 
memories,  $175.  IBM  Selectric  type 
balls,  $10.  IBM  Selectric  tool  kit,  $25. 
IBM  Selectric  10  pitch  to  12  pitch  con- 
version kit,  $35.  ACDC  power  supply,  5 to 
9 volt,  20  amp,  overvoltage  protect,  over- 
current protect,  $80.  Sunny  Power  Sup- 
ply, 9 volt  25  amps,  ± 18  volt-4  amps,  - 9 
volts-4  amps,  $85.  Stan  Levine,  1802  Mel- 
ville St.,  Ocean,  NJ  07712,  (201)  531-8305. 

FOR  SALE:  ASR  33  like  new  with  recent 
1C  touch  tone  modem.  Includes  all  man- 
uals. $750.  You  ship.  Also  SWTPC 
CT-1024  w/scroll,  16  lines  64  char.,  upper/ 
lower  case,  custom  oak/formica  cabinet. 
Lots  of  spare  parts.  $225.  Julian  Jetzer, 
6400  Hawthorn  Rd.,  Sheboygan,  Wl 
53081,  (414)  457-3366. 

FOR  SALE:  DTE  Diablo  commercial  Hy- 
type  I printer/keyboard,  fully  equipped; 
RS232  interface;  contact  E.  Grossman, 
410  Albany  Post  Rd.,  Croton,  NY  10520. 

FOR  SALE:  Three  TRACOR  2314  type  30 
megabyte  disk  drives  w/all  manuals, 
schematics  and  controller  information. 
$600  ea.  Taken  from  service.  Michael 
Driscoll,  5309  Riverdale  Rd.,  # 404,  River- 
dale,  MD  20840,  (301)  779-6425,  after  6. 

FOR  SALE:  Altair  8800B  including  28K  of 
static  memory,  2SIO,  ACT  (with  8K  MITS 
BASIC  and  games  on  tape),  Newtech 
music  board,  plus  iCOM  micro-floppy 
with  full  software  (FDOS  III  & DEBBI) 
plus  an  ADM-3A  terminal.  A complete 
system  ready  to  run!  $2495.00  complete. 
Call  Eliot  at  (213)  450-1324  (day)  or  (213) 
454-7690  (evenings). 

FIFO  FLEA  MARKET  is  provided  as  a 
free  service  to  our  readers.  When  send- 
ing an  ad  please  be  brief  in  description 
and  include  price,  name,  address  and/or 
phone  number.  There  is  a two  month  lag 
time.  All  ads  this  month  were  received 
before  August  25th. 


144  INTERFACE  AGE 


OCTOBER  1978 


o 

cc 

< 

O 

LU 

O 

> 

CC 

LU 

if) 

CC 

LU 

a 

< 

LU 

CC 


I 


i: 


K*e§5»?!3Si3mSS8$3 
"*'*55S58*5SSS5855 
" * c * 3 ? S ? 3 X £ 8 S 3 g 8 5 3 
k5«s»??sSsSrSSS855 
k*=*5!£?5S685SS85S 

R9S«5S?SggggSSggB3 

e * * * 5 3 9 * * 3 $ i l 3 8 2 5 3 
5 ’ a s " 3 ? 9 l g 2 8 g S 8 8 ' S 

*9s#£Ss8sSi«HSS[S8SS 
“;*s”5?5ks2rS5SIS;3 
tf  * s * * ? 8 3 S 8 g 8 g 3 S 8 ? 3 
s***?f?S282l282ll28 
"«2s??3?sSi5igsS2S  = 5 
s»3&PB3S2BgsSaaSiS3 
'*;*'93l£BiBgS**;9 

9»83S»8S8S5!gSSS|SS5 

* * * * 5 5 5 * 8 8 2 2 S 3 8 S § 3 

- a a s § 9 ? ? g 3 2 g 8 3 SI  8 3 3 

- 3 s 8 8 8 5 9 r 3 2 2 S S S 8 § S 
■'sss?539852a858s85 
'«s*s3S*m8S8S8§3 
""a'lSISXBftmim 

«3c§?3?rS8S3S8S55 

»ats5afcg&S5£S5S|tg5 

B5,!s55?rS«S8SsSs5 


CC 

< 

O 

LU 

o 

> 

cc 

LU 

if) 

CC 

LU 

□ 

< 

LU 

CC 


LU 

IE 

LU 

l_J 


'Q 

lS 

cE 


LU 


"■"ISXSSmflRBfiSH 

R«-8???53*rS3S5S53 

R5rs53c*S9SgSSSgg3 

n3P3«?E»88S!58SSS8S 

s*=*s?£?52E8sSa*53 

RsesRsssgSRgSSgs8S 

e jsst jsae j|39S82;3 
*3S3-???2328SaSi8;3 
33S8'H5g'aR8aSS8;3 
*535?5?5*r8rS58r*5 
98sas«s?SS28SS8*33 
’ " * « 3 9 3 5 a S 2 8 a 9 * S - 9 
'"aiSSSXgflgflSSXXsX 
| saasHsasssg^sssSS 

* ="38:9i8aa»8aS8S35 
| sas8Ss?»aaa8aS88;5 
2 ‘******iUMSZnM 
| -aaaggagggggsgssjg 
8'-af,8sgagggggaggg§g 
I “aasssaggggggggjjgg 

f ' « * a * 9 ? ? 8 8 8 8 S 8 8 S 3 S 
1 'B*el5?maE3S2£35 
| « 3 e ? ? s ? § g 2 E 8 9 8 E 3 3 
S " - 3 9 5 3 E s 3 3 £ 8 5 8 £ 3 5 
I '«ss§*s?RiSiQE5S»Ss5 


FIRST  CLASS 
PERMIT  NO.  11 
CERRITOS.  CA 
90701 


BUSINESS  REPLY  MAIL 


No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  II  Mailed  In  the  United  States 


Postage  will  be  paid  by 


imcriraLE  «5c  Magazine 
P.O.  Box  1234 

Cerritos,  CA  90701 


FIRST  CLASS 
PERMIT  NO.  11 
CERRITOS.  CA 
90701 


BUSINESS  REPLY  MAIL 

No  Postage  Stamp  Necessary  it  Mailed  In  the  United  States 


Postage  will  be  paid  by 


ifuTcnraLC  «5c  Magazine 

P.O.  Box  1234 
Cerritos,  CA  90701 


One-Stop 

Component  Center 

AUTHORIZED  DEALERS 


ALABAMA 

KANSAS  (Continued) 

NEW  YORK  (Continued) 

Crop  well 

Tucker  Bros 

Manhattan 

Communications  Specialties  L td 

White  Plains 

The  Computer  Comer 

Huntsville 

Industrial  Electronic  Supply 

Wichita 

Amateur  Radio  Equipment  Company 

Wtl/iamsvtilc 

Hutch  Sales  Co. 

Mobile 

Lafayette  Radio  Electronics 

KENTUCKY 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

ALASKA 

Lexmgton 

Radio- Electronic  Equipment  Co 

Durham 

Futureworld 

Anchorage 

Electronics  Corp.  of  Alaska 

LOUISIANA 

Greensboro 

Byte  Shop 

ARIZONA 

Baton  Rouge 

Davis  Electronics  Supply  Co. 

Raleigh 

Byte  Shop  of  Raleigh 

Flagstaff 

Jim's  Audio  A Stereo  Repair 

Baton  Rouge 

Menard  Electronics  Inc. 

NORTH  DAKOTA 

Fountain  Hills 

PA  C Communications 

New  Orleans 

Wm  8 Allen  Supply  Co. 

Fargo 

The  Computer  Company 

Tempt 

Compute rworld  Inc. 

MARYLAND 

OHIO 

Sierra  Vista 

BAS  Electronics 

Baltimore 

Computers  Unlimited 

Bucyrus 

Mead  Electronics 

Yuma 

Yuma  Electronics 

Baltimore 

Computer  Workshop  of  Baltimore 

Cincinnati 

Digital  Design 

CALIFORNIA 

Baltimore 

Everything  Electronic 

Columbus 

Heathkit  Electronic  Center 

Bellflower 

Earl's  Hobby  Shop 

La  Vale 

JAM  Electronics 

Dayton 

Altair  Computer  Center 

Berkeley 

Al  Lasher  Electronics 

Rockville 

Computer  Workshop 

Reynoldsburg 

Universal  Amateur  Radio 

Brea 

Century  Electronics 

Silver  Spring 

Computers  E rc. 

OKLAHOMA 

Cypress 

SCR  Electronics 

Towton 

Bay  net  vi  lie  Electronic  Inc. 

Guymon 

Sound  Service 

El  Monte 

Kimball  A Stark 

Tows  on 

Computers  Etc 

Oklahoma  City 

Bits.  Bytes  A Micros 

Fontana 

Fontana  Electronics 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Tulsa 

High  Technology 

Fullerton 

Orvac  Electronics  Inc 

Medford 

Tufts  Electronics 

OREGON 

Glendale 

Eagle  Electronics 

North  Adams 

Electronics  Supply  Center 

Albany 

Oregon  Ham  Sales 

Lake  Tahoe.  South 

CalPme  Electronics 

Waltham 

Computer  Mart  Inc 

Beaverton 

Norvac  Electronics 

Lancaster 

Consumer  Electronics 

Worcester 

RM  Electronics  Inc. 

Coot  Bay 

Hemck  Electron ix 

Long  Btach 

Scott  Radio  Supply  Inc 

MICHIGAN 

Medford 

Portland  Radio  Supply 

Mission  Vie/o 

Tower  Electronics  Corp 

Ann  Arbor 

Airway  Electronic  Communications 

Ontario 

Miller  Electronics 

Modesto 

Computer  Mage 

Flint 

Hobby  Electronic  Center 

Portland 

Portland  Radio  Supply 

Modesto 

Pacific  Radio 

Grand  Rapids 

M>cro  Computer  World 

Salem 

Computer  Pathways 

Monterey 

Zackit 

Lantmg 

Fulton  Radio  Supply  Co 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Oceanside 

Electronic  Center 

Midland 

Computronix  Corp. 

Drexel  Hill 

Kass  Electronic  Distributors 

Palmdale 

Radio  Shack  A. SC.  Palmdale 

Mt  Clemens 

The  Consputer  Store 

Erie 

Warren  Radio 

Palo  Alto 

Zack  Electronics 

Muskegon 

H.R.  Electronics 

Hershey 

Microcomputer  Systems  Inc 

Pasadena 
Riverside 
Sacramento 
Sacramento 
Sacramrnto 
San  Bernardino 
San  Carlos 
San  Diego 
San  Diego 
San  Fernando 
San  Francisco 
San  Francisco 
San  Jose 
San  Luis  Obispo 
San  Rafael 
Santa  Barbara 
Santa  Cruf 
Santa  Maria 
Santa  Monica 
Sunnyvale 
Torrance 
Vallejo 
Van  Nuys 
Ventura 
Walnut  Creek 
Westminster 
Whittier 
Whittier 

COLORADO 

Aurora 

Denver 

Steamboat  Springs 

CONNECTICUT 

Bridgeport 

FLORIDA 


Dow  Radio  Inc 
Computer  Center 
Heathkit  Electronic  C 'enter 
The  Radio  Place 
Zackit 

Inland  Computer  6 Electronics 
J A H Outlet  Store 
Radio  Shack  AS  C.  Mira  Mesa 
Radio  TtontCi  Inc 
San  Fernando  Electronics 
Zack  Electronics 
Zenith  Distributing  Corp 
Quement  Electronics 
Mid-State  Electronic  Supply 
Electronics  Plus 
Lombard  Electronics 
Santa  Cm/  Electronics 
Caps  Electronics 
Mission  Control 
Sunnyvale  Electronics 
SE  Electronics 
Zackit 

Thnfty  Electronics  Supply 
Lombard's  Electronics  Inc 
Byte  Shop  of  Walnut  Creek 
JK  Electronics 
O A S Electronics 
Whither  Electronics  Co. 

Cam  Co  Electronics 
Mt.  Com  Distributing  Co 
Norm's  TV  A Electronics 

Bridgeport  Computer 


Ft  Lauderdale 

Computers  For  You 

MINNESOTA 

Gainesville 

Lafayette  Rad>o 

Duluth 

Northwest  Radio  of  Duluth 

Lakeland 

Lakeland  Specialty  Electronics 

Eagan 

Computer  Room  Inc 

Orlando 

Altai  Computer  Center 

Hopkins 

Heathkit  Electronic  Center 

Pensacola 

Cnee  Electronics  Inc 

St  Paul 

Heathkit  Electronic  Center 

Tampa 

AMF  Radio 

MISSOURI 

Tampa 

Microcomputer  Systems 

El  Dorado  Springs 

Beckman  Electronics 

GEORGIA 

Florissant 

Computer  Country 

Atlanta 

Atlanta  Computer  Mart 

Park  vilte 

Computer  Workshop  of  Kansas  City 

HAWAII 

MONTANA 

Aiea 

De /comi  Hawaii 

Billings 

Conley  Radio  Supply 

Honolulu 

Integrated  Orcuit  Supply 

Bo/eman 

Electronic  Service  A Distributing 

IOAHO 

Great  Falls 

Art's  Electronics 

Boise 

Custom  Electronics 

NEBRASKA 

Caldwell 

A -Gem  Supply  Inc. 

Lincoln 

Allan  Computer  Center 

Idaho  Fjslls 

Audiotronics 

Lincoln 

Scott  Electronic  Supply  fnc. 

ILLINOIS 

North  Platte 

Scott  Radio  Supply  Corp 

Car  bond  alt 

Lay  layette  Radio 

Omaha 

Heathkit  Electron < Center 

Evanston 

Itty  Bitty  Machine  Co 

Omaha 

Omaha  Computer  Store 

Evanston 

Trf  State  Electronic  Corp 

NEVAOA 

Granite  Oty 

Computer  Systems  Center 

Las  Vegas 

Century  23 

Grove  land 

Moyer  Electronics 

NEW  JERSEY 

Mount  Prospect 

Tn-State  Electronic  Corp 

Bay  villa 

A R S Communications  Services 

Niles 

Computer  Land 

Bnck  town 

Radio  Shack  Aiiocurr  Store 

Oak  Park 

Spectronics  Inc 

Cherry  Hill 

The  Computer  Emporium 

Peoria 

Warren  Radio  Co 

Hoboken 

Hoboken  Computer  Works 

Rockford 

Imperial  Computer  Systems 

Paterson 

All  tromet 

Schaumburg 

Data  Domain 

Pomp  ton  Lake 

Computer  Corner  of  New  Jersey 

INDIANA 

Ramsey 

Typetronic  Computer  Store 

East  Chicago 

Aero  Electronics  Corp. 

NEW  YORK 

Hammond 

Quantum  Computer  Works 

Albany 

Fort  Orange  Electronics 

IOWA 

Kingston 

Grey  lock  E fee  ironies 

Clinton 

Bridge  Elec.  Computer  Center 

New  York 

Computer  Mart  of  New  York 

Davenport 

Computer  Store  of  Davenport 

Rensselaer 

Com  Tech  Electronics 

Det  Mo  met 

Radio  Trade  Supply  Co 

Roches  ter 

2001  Microsystems 

Indian  ola 

Electrons  Limited 

Troy 

Trojan  Electronics 

KANSAS 

Utica 

Am  Com  Electronics 

Kansas  Oty 

Electronic  Surplus  Sales 

Murrysvifle 
Phoetuxvilfe 
Pittsburgh 
Wifkesbare 
York 

RHOOE  ISLAND 

Cranston 

Pawtucket 

SOUTH  CAROLINA 

North  Charleston 

TENNESSEE 

Chattanooga 

Clarksville 

Cookeville 

Knoxville 

Memphis 

Memphis 

Nashville 

Oak  Ridge 

TEXAS 

Amarillo 

Dallas 

Houston 

Houston 

San  Antonio 

UTAH 

Provo 

Salt  Lake  City 
VIRGINIA 
Alexandria 
Alexandria 
Alexandria 
Charlottesville 
Hampton 
Richmond 
Roanoke 
Springfield 
Virginia  Beach 
WASHINGTON 
Kennewick 
Longview 
Pasco 
Richland 
Seattle 
Seattle 
Seattle 
Seattle 
Spokane 
Tacoma 

WEST  VIRGINIA 

Morgantown 

Morgantown 

Ripley 

Wheeling 


Computer  Workshop  of  Pittsburgh 
Stevens  Electronics 
Tydmgs  Company 
Hamlme  Electronics 
G.  Y.C.  Company 

Jabbour  Electronics  City 
Jabbour  Electronics  City 

Technical  Services  Inc. 

Wiliam’s  Data  Comp  Division 
Masstronics 
Wagnon's  Stereo  Center 
Byte  Shop 
Bluff  City  Electronics 
Sere- Rose  A Spencer  Electronics 
Eddie  Warner's  Parts  Co 
Computer  Denn 

Computer  Encounters  Inc. 

CompuShop 
Altair  Computer  Center 
Interactive  Computers 
Sherman  Electronics  Supply  Inc. 

Alpine  Elecrontc  Supply  Co 
Best  Distributing 

Computer  Hardware  Store 
Computers  Plus  Inc. 
Heathkit  Electronic  Center 
Lafayette  Electronics 
Lafayette  Radio 
Computers  To-Go 
The  Computer  Place 
Computer  Workshop  of  North  Virginia 
Heathkit  Electronic  Center 

C A J Electronics 
Progress  Electronics 
River  view  Electronics 
C A J Electronics 
ABC  Communications 
Amateur  Radio  Supply 
C-Com 
Empire  Electronics 
Personal  Computers 
Northwest  Radio  Supply 

The  Computer  Cornet 
Electro  Distributing  Co 
Thompson 's  Radio  Shack 
Lafayette  Radio  Asso  Store 


CANADA 

Alberta  (Calgary I 
Ontario  (Willowdalel 
Quebec  ( Montreal l 

PANAMA 

Panama  City 
Panama  City 
Panama  City 

FRANCE 

Pans 


SINGAPORE 

SINGAPORE 


The  Computer  Shop 
Home  Computer  Centre 
Wang's  Microcenter 


Electrotecma  S A 
Sonitel.  S A 
Tropelco.  S A. 


Computer  Boutique 


Inter-Trade  f PTE I Ltd. 
Systems  Technology  Ltd. 


SEE  YOUR  LOCAL 


DEALER  TODAY! 


For  Dealer  Information,  write  or  phone  JIM-PAK®  1021  Howard  Ave.,  San  Carlos,  California  94070  (415)  592-8097 


CIRCLE  INQUIRY  NO.  25 


Over  the  past  two  years 
customer  acceptance  of  Vector 
Graphic  microcomputers  has  just 
grown  and  grown  and  grown.  It 
isn’t  terribly  surprising,  really. 
After  all,  it  does  make  life  a lot 
easier  when  you  have  reliable 
cost  effective  equipment. 

So  it  is  with  our  new  Vector 
MZ  business  system  with  both 
data  processing  and  word 
processing  available  all  in  one 
trouble-free  system. 

That’s  good  because: 

By  having  one  interactive 
stand-alone  system  with  optional 
software  for  all  your  business 
functions  including  Accounts 
Payable,  Accounts  Receivable, 


General  Ledger,  Financial 
Statement,  Inventory  and  more, 
plus . . . word  processing  for 
mailing  labels,  text  editing  of 
manuals,  catalogs,  etc.,  collection 
letters,  contracts  and  proposals 
-you'll  have  big  business  power. 

Known  throughout  the 
industry  for  highly  reliable 
equipment,  Vector  Graphic’s  new 
business  system  incorporates: 
the  Z-80  based  Vector  MZ  micro- 
computer with  built-in  dual-disk 
quad-density  storage  enough  to 
handle  as  many  as  4,000  customers 
and  12,000  inventory  items; 

Vector  Graphic’s  "Mindless 
terminal";  and  a Centronics  120 
character  per  second  printer. 


Optional  Diablo  letter-quality 
printer  is  also  available. 

That’s  Vector  Graphic  - cost 
effective,  versatile,  reliable 
systems.  When  you  get  right 
down  to  it  - nobody  does 
it  better. 


□ Send  me  details  immediately. 

Name 

Company 

Address 

City /State/Zip 


Dealer  inquiries  invited. 

C3a?hc  me. 

Vector  Graphic  Inc..  3 1 364  Via  Colinas 
Westlake  Village.  CA  91361 . (213)  991-2302 


Small  Wonder